


Sunshine and Moonlight

by SpangleBangle



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Established Relationship, Familiars, Fluff, Fox Neil, Happy, M/M, No Angst, Shapeshifter Neil, Telepathy, Witches, Work In Progress, happier andrew, making up the witchcraft as I go tbh, no beastiality, slightly softer characters, this is an odd little au ok don't judge me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-09-28 11:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10099385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpangleBangle/pseuds/SpangleBangle
Summary: Andrew starts regretting signing with the Palmetto Foxes the minute the other athletes start commenting on the form of his familiar, and definitely the second his new team mates start digging for details. Ugh. He just wants to tend to his plants and get through college in peace, even if it is fairly unusual for a witch his age to have a familiar. Whatever. That story is private, and nobody else's business.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I hopped on the witch au bandwagon a while back to write something soft and fluffy where these characters don't have to suffer so much. Characterisation is a little softer than canon due to the alternate meetings, you'll see c:

Andrew pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine with a frown, looking up at the dorm tower sitting on the side of the hill.

“Our new home, huh?” Nicky said, leaning forward between the front seats to look through the windshield. Aaron said nothing, just snorted derisively. Andrew didn’t bother replying to them and turned his attention to the young fox curled up in the shotgun seat on top of some sweaters.

_Oi,_ he said silently and watched the fox’s ears twitch. _Wake up. We’re here._

_Fuck off,_ the fox replied sleepily, though he started to stir with a complaining whine. _Ugh, it’s too bright._

_Quit bitching,_ Andrew said and reached out to lightly touch the fox’s head. The fox leaned into his hand with a wide yawn and got to his feet. _We’ll be inside soon._

“Aw, he’s awake,” Nicky cooed.

“Out,” Andrew said to his family and they unloaded onto the kerb. The fox stayed wisely away from their feet as they got their few suitcases and boxes out of the trunk and footwells; they hadn’t bothered packing furniture with them from the house in Columbia as they weren’t selling it, just taking their clothes and what few possessions they really wanted with them. For Andrew that was mostly books, and his plants and herbal supplies, and they fitted easily into a large duffel and a cardboard box. The three of them gathered up their things and headed inside. The fox stayed close to Andrew’s legs the whole time, leery of the unfamiliar place, but Andrew was used to it and they knew how to walk without tripping over each other.

They got more than a few funny looks from the few other athletes already moved in, and a couple of joking comments about taking school pride too far.

_I don’t like it here,_ the fox sulked as they waited in the elevator.

_Tough shit,_ Andrew replied, though he felt much the same already. They’d be living in these dorms for the next five years, and even with the building barely occupied it felt too crowded already. Andrew’s plants seemed to shiver in their box and he resolved to get them back into sunlight as soon as possible.

Aaron had the dorm keys the coach had mailed them a few days prior, so he took the lead and found their room. They piled inside and dumped their belongings in the living room. Andrew immediately went to the window and started taking off the protective screen while Nicky wandered about to check out the size of the rooms. Aaron went to the bathroom to piss, bored already.

Andrew’s fox did his own anxious circuit of the suite, poking his nose into each of the rooms and walking the perimeters to figure out the space, finding all the exits and hiding places.

_Verdict?_ Andrew asked as he started unpacking his plants onto the windowsill; he trailed a finger over their leaves as they relaxed happily into the sunlight once more, humming contentedly in the warming soil.

_We’ve been in worse places,_ the fox replied sarcastically and trotted back to him, ears pressed flat to his skull.

_Stop being so dramatic,_ Andrew said, but reached down and lifted the fox into his arms, then leaned back against a bare desk by the window so the fox could perch in his lap. The stress in the young fox’s body dropped away rapidly and he pressed his head against Andrew’s chest.

_I’m tired,_ the fox muttered.

Andrew cradled his palm over the fox’s head, shielding his sensitive eyes from the midday sun. _You can sleep once we’ve unpacked,_ he said, though he knew anxiety would have the fox awake and stressed the rest of the day, and most of the night too. The fox yawned again, displaying wide jaws of sharp white teeth, and butted his head lightly into Andrew’s hand. His compact body was heavy, but Andrew was more than capable of holding onto him. He seemed to be falling asleep again, soothed by Andrew’s proximity, when there was a light knocking at the door. He had jumped out of Andrew’s arms in a flash, hackles up as he stood between Andrew and the door.

Andrew sighed and nudged him lightly to the side as he answered the door. There was a young woman waiting there, all sharp eyes and short, dark hair. Andrew absently noted the muscles in her bare arms and put a face to the name – Danielle Wilds.

“Hi there,” she said with a quick smile. “I’m Dan, team captain. Wymack said you guys would be moving in today. So, are you Aaron or Andrew?”

“Andrew,” he replied flatly, and gave her offered hand a quick shake. He felt his fox twining around his feet, torn between protectiveness and fear of the newcomer. Apparently deciding aggression was the way to go, he gave a short, loud bark and bared his teeth.

“Stop that,” Andrew ordered quietly, looking down at his feet.

The fox didn’t reply other than a short whine.

“Who’s this?” Dan asked, looking thrilled and not a bit concerned at the half-feral animal eyeing her ankles.

“My familiar.”

Dan crouched down and held out her hand with an absurd cooing noise. The fox retreated warily, edging back around Andrew’s legs as a shield.

_I’m not a kitten,_ the fox protested with as much dignity as he could muster while bristling up his fur to seem like more of a threat.

“What’s his name?”

“None of your business, and get away from him,” Andrew scowled.

“Alright, alright,” Dan said airily and stood up with her hands up high. “No need for the attitude, just trying to be friendly. Haven’t met anyone’s familiar before.”

Yeah, Andrew supposed as he gave her a quick once-over. He was getting weather vibes from her, something to do with storms. No wonder Neil was so spooked. He leaned down and dangled his fingers near the fox, who clamped his jaws around Andrew’s fingers firmly but without force, careful not to puncture his skin. He huffed and chewed Andrew’s fingers for a minute to calm himself, growled warningly at Dan to stay away, and retreated under the desks where it was darker and safer. Andrew could see his pale eyes glinting watchfully, though.

Nicky and Aaron wandered out from where they’d been unpacking in the bedroom, no doubt curious about all the voices. Dan introduced herself again and Andrew went back to his plants, making sure they were all happy and getting as much sun as possible, and watered one or two who were getting thirsty. He tuned out the conversation Nicky was having in the doorway, and kept methodically unpacking his things. He knew the fox was watching him from his little hidey-hole, making sure he was safe and keeping an eye on things.

_I’m fine,_ he said.

Neil just whined quietly and laid his head on his paws.

After a little while, the rest of the Exy team came over to inspect the new arrivals, seeing as they were all on the same floor. There was loud and chatty Boyd, grumpy Gordon, snippy Reynolds and the oddly placid Renee Walker, and a couple of mouthbreather fifth-years. Nicky greeted them all enthusiastically, Aaron with vague attempts at politeness, and Andrew nodded and shook hands when demanded. Nobody seemed to have noticed the fox under the desk until all the moving bodies, strange scents and loud voices got too much, and he started crying and yipping in distress, walking tight circles under the desk and shuddering all over.

“What the hell?” A few people muttered, looking around for the source of the noise.

Andrew sat down in front of the desk and ducked his head under it. “Shh, shh,” he said softly, holding his hands out. _Calm down, Neil._

_I don’t like this,_ his fox replied piteously and pressed himself into Andrew’s hands, twisting and rubbing against his palms.

_I know. Calm down. I’m here._

Neil whined some more so Andrew scooped him up into his lap, caging him comfortably between his legs and arms under the desk. _You’re being pathetic,_ he informed his familiar, but didn’t stop gently stroking over his thick fur until the shaking stopped. He rubbed carefully behind the fox’s ears and over the back of his neck until Neil was curled up in his arms again. He wasn’t happy, especially as Andrew knew the team was staring and trying to see what was going on and could feel their gaze just as acutely as Neil, but at least he wasn’t freaking out.

_You’re safe,_ Andrew said, and dug a piece of jerky out of his pocket, put there just in case something like this happened. He offered it to the fox and kept stroking behind his ears as Neil chewed on it, neatly distracted.

He carefully eased under the desk, for once grateful for his short stature, and held his familiar close in a warm puddle of fur and limbs. Neil tucked his head into Andrew’s chest again and sighed, flicking his tail over Andrew’s arm.

_Silly animal,_ Andrew chided him quietly.

_Yep,_ Neil agreed and licked at his fingers, trying to get all the salt and flavouring from the jerky off his skin.

“Is he calmed down now?” Nicky asked from a little distance away, the apparent spokesperson for the bewildered team. Andrew grunted an affirmative and Nicky turned away to briefly explain about Andrew’s familiar being mostly-nocturnal, and not liking the stress and noise.

“Can we see?” Boyd asked, looking far too excited; it always irked Andrew, people’s fascination with familiars. Yeah, they weren’t super common among their generation of witches, and there were way too many inaccurate myths and folk stories about them, but that didn’t mean everybody had free license to look and touch and ask deeply personal questions.

_Neil,_ Andrew said as he rubbed between the fox’s ears. _They want to see you. Best to get it over with._

Neil huffed but agreed cautiously.

“One at a time, and keep your voices down,” Andrew allowed, his own voice plainly irritated.

Boyd was the fastest on his feet and first in line, kneeling by the desk with a wide smile. Andrew scowled and kept a protective hold of Neil as the fox turned in his arms to assess the new potential threat.

“Oh my god,” Boyd said softly. “This is so perfect. And he’s gorgeous.”

Neil leaned a bit closer and sniffed at Boyd’s offered fingers. To Andrew’s surprise, he even licked the guy’s palm. Boyd looked absolutely charmed. _He’s a plant witch like you,_ Neil said in explanation. _I can smell it on him._

Andrew jerked his head and Boyd pouted but obediently shuffled away. The rest of the team each got a good look, and Neil stayed pressed into Andrew’s chest for the rest of them, wary. He barked at Renee when she held out a hand, and she calmly stepped back, not looking at all offended.

_Dangerous,_ was all Neil would say about her, and shuddered until Andrew could stroke him back to calmness. He promised himself he’d keep a close eye on her; Neil might have his twitchy, animal-reflex paranoid moments, but his instincts had always been good and Andrew trusted him more than any other living entity.

“If everyone’s done gawking, are we gonna get food or what?” Aaron drawled. “We’ve been packing and driving all day, I’m starving.”

_Jealous much,_ Andrew said, and Neil laughed quietly in the privacy of their link.

The others all began making plans, something involving a pizza joint downtown, and Neil started getting anxious again.

_If I go with them, it will be quiet and calm in here,_ Andrew pointed out. _You can get settled and sleep for a while. I’ll bring you back some meat._

Neil reluctantly agreed and stepped out of Andrew’s arms so he could get up, yawning again. Andrew ignored all the stares and comments and went to the bedroom to change into something a bit better for dinner out somewhere, rather than just for moving. He said goodbye to his plants, offered a last quick stroke to Neil’s head, and firmly locked the door behind them all as they left.

He didn’t like being separated from his familiar for too long, but they both knew Neil needed some time to adjust and rest, and Andrew should keep face and pretend to socialise with his new teammates. He listened as the others chatted raucously, absorbing little details about their lives (boring) and their hopes for the upcoming season (ugh) and offering very little back even when asked. He checked in with Neil every so often, feeling out their bond for a sense of his emotional state; at this distance, words were hard, but he could feel Neil’s presence like muffled music in another room. He seemed to have fallen asleep soon after the team cleared out; Andrew caught vague glimpses of dreams in black and white from a low perspective when he wasn’t concentrating on his surroundings. He ate all of his own pizza, but picked off a handful of chicken and beef bits and wrapped them in a couple napkins.

Nicky smiled at him for that and Aaron rolled his eyes. Nobody else except Renee noticed, and she said nothing, just watched him. When he met her stare challengingly she gave a sweet smile and turned away.

Andrew endured the team dinner as long as he could, bored out of his skull and annoyed at being away from Neil for so long. Luckily, Aaron started getting grumpy first and Nicky decided to herd his asocial cousins away before either of them could insult their new teammates too badly on the first night. The Exy line wandered back to dorms together, and Andrew tolerated Wilds talking at him about the classes she was taking this year, not replying in any way – not a word or glance or gesture, but she didn’t seem to mind. He thought he understood her determination when she edged near to him at the doorway, peering through.

_Fuck’s sake._

He hip-checked her out the way and closed the door in her face, uncaring about her vaguely shocked expression. Nicky started on him at that, but Neil’s arrival shut him up. Neil had waited until he could be sure it was just the three of them, apparently, and now he shot forward to check them all. He sniffed at Nicky’s shoes, sneezed, and circled around Aaron watchfully. His inspection was apparently up to snuff and he sprang around Andrew’s feet instead.

_We’re all fine,_ Andrew said and stepped over the excitable animal to sit in one of the beanbag chairs instead. _Did anyone break in while we were gone?_

_No,_ Neil replied with a hint of offended dignity, even as he pranced and bounced around Andrew’s seat, buzzing with energy after his short nap. _I want to play._

_You always want to play_ , Andrew replied with a quiet sigh, and fetched a well-worn and tooth-marked squash ball from his other pocket. Neil yipped happily and bounced away from him a few steps, settling back on his haunches with his whole body twitching. Andrew held it up and wiggled it in his fingers for a few minutes until Neil barked impatiently, batting his paws on the carpet. Andrew flicked it across the room to bounce against the wall, and Neil sprang in the air to catch it in his jaws. He pranced in a tight circle, mightily pleased with himself, and dropped it back in Andrew’s waiting palm. Andrew threw it again, flicking it off the ceiling as if it were an Exy court, and Neil went after it hungrily.

“Ugh,” Aaron said.

“They do this every night, you should be used to it by now,” Nicky rolled his eyes. “I think it’s cute. Are you unpacked, Aaron?”

“What are you, my mother,” Aaron replied and shuffled off into the bedroom. To unpack.

“Dinner was fun, wasn’t it?” Nicky said as he settled into the other beanbag, watching as Andrew and Neil’s ‘game’ started to pick up in speed, the ball ricocheting off the walls and ceiling and floor in precise arcs only a goalie could predict. Neil was equal to it all, though, honed by years of the game and his own cunning reflexes. Andrew didn’t reply, distracted by Neil’s joyful laughter echoing in his head.

Nicky sighed and watched them for a few minutes longer. “Well, I had fun, anyway.”

Neil dropped the ball back in Andrew’s fingers and crouched low to the ground, watching him eagerly for his next move.

_You’re ridiculous._

_You’re still playing with me,_ Neil laughed back and jumped in front of Nicky to catch the ball before it got too close to him. Instead of dropping it in his hand and walking away again, he clambered up onto the beanbag and settled himself, curled up against Andrew’s hip as he panted for breath.

_You’re tired already?_

_Long day,_ Neil replied and rested his chin on Andrew’s thigh with a contented sigh. _And I have a lot to do tonight._

Andrew tucked the ball back in his pocket and retrieved the napkin bundle. He slowly fed his fox little nibbles of the meat, not wanting to spoil him or upset his stomach after all the running around. He put the bundle away after a third of it had been eaten and Neil didn’t fight him about it for once; he settled for licking Andrew’s fingers instead.

“I swear you’re more affectionate with him than with me,” Nicky said with a half-joking pout. Andrew glanced at him, vaguely surprised he was still there.

“He has his uses as a hot water bottle,” Andrew replied and ignored the slight nip he earned to his thumb.

Nicky laughed and smiled at them both, a little wistful. “Yeah, I guess so. Look, Andrew… I really want this to work out for us. I know you don’t really care about Exy, or much about college. But I do appreciate that you signed anyway, just so Aaron and I could go to college. Okay? And I know today was stressful, with the move and Red freaking out, but it kills me to see you both so shut off. Aaron’ll probably find some assholes to spend time with in his classes, no matter what I think of them. But you – I don’t want you to spend five years ignoring everyone except your familiar. I know that what you guys have is special, and private, and not anything I can really understand, but it’s not healthy to have so little contact with humans. You’re really making me worry, Andrew. This could be a real chance to make proper friends, and get a good degree. So just… can you try, with the team? It would be nice to have a real team at our backs, wouldn’t it?”

Andrew stared back at him impassively until Neil nipped him again. He nudged his nose under Andrew’s palm and wriggled until Andrew’s hand was resting on his head. Andrew spared him a glance.

_He’s right, you know._

_Shut up, Neil._

He looked back to Nicky and raised his eyes to the ceiling for a moment, besieged on both sides by pleading, pathetic gazes. “Fine,” he said shortly. “A few of them look vaguely interesting. I’ll try. But if they’re all boring idiots I won’t bother with them.”

Nicky sighed in relief and grinned. “Thank you, Andrew. And thank you Red!” He laughed and lightly scratched behind Neil’s ears, who let his tongue loll out in amusement for a second before curling tighter under Andrew’s hand.

“I’m going to bed,” Nicky smiled. “Don’t stay up too late, alright? Practice tomorrow.”

“What are you, my mother,” Andrew mocked in Aaron’s absence and Nicky snorted as he got to his feet.

“God I hope not, that would be weird. And even if you two are tiny, giving birth to you both would have absolutely _ruined_ my waistline.”

“I refuse to let Erik be my father,” Andrew replied.

Nicky laughed and waved a vague goodnight as he headed into the bedroom after Aaron. Andrew stayed in the living room with Neil for a little longer, both drinking in the solitude and quiet after such a day. Neil yawned peacefully and Andrew splayed his fingers so they sunk into Neil’s soft, thick fur to rest against his skin and traced a few old scars hidden there. He could feel the fox’s heartbeat through his ribcage, fast but not excessive. It was a pace as familiar to him as his own. Sometimes it felt more familiar, even.

_You should rest,_ Neil murmured eventually, pawing gently at Andrew’s thigh. _You’re tired._

_At least I don’t hide under desks and throw tantrums._

Neil huffed and nudged his thigh with his head. _Go, Andrew. I need to check the wards, anyway._

Andrew gave one last lingering stroke to his head and down his back to his tail, and Neil sighed quietly. They parted reluctantly, and Andrew propped open the living room window a sliver. He watched as Neil slipped out and started making his way down the fire escape. A flash of pale eyes, a whisk of his tail, and he was gone. Andrew checked the window wouldn’t shut itself in the night and left the bedroom door open as well. Aaron was reading in bed on the top bunk and Nicky, in the single bunk across the room, was putting on his headphones so he could listen to his rain-and-storm app, as he always did to help get to sleep. Andrew swapped his jeans for soft sweatpants, changed his shirt and moved the knives from his armbands to under the pillow of the bottom bunk under Aaron. He turned out the lights, settled with his back to the wall, and drifted off.

In his dreams, he shared Neil’s eyes.

Together, they explored the campus grounds in greyscale and scent-informed vision, padding around the perimeter of Fox Tower first. Neil sniffed curiously at the landscape of scents to memorise them and acclimatise to the new surroundings. He quickly found the scent marks left by the other familiars in the building, no more than five, and pressed his paw beside them to announce his presence.

He squinted at the wards placed around the Tower by those familiars, protections against fire, ill-health and general misfortune. He took a deep breath and breathed on them slowly, adding his strength and another one to warn against unwelcome guests. They glowed in his peculiar double-vision, invisible to even a fox’s keen eyes but vibrant and glowing in Neil’s Other sight. He pressed his paw to them to seal them there, and licked them so his signature would be clear to the other familiars.

That done, he detoured to the bin area for a few minutes to launch himself into an open dumpster and snag some food.

_Gross_ , Andrew commented sleepily. _Wash before you come back._

Neil laughed both silently and out loud with a huff of breath as he scarfed down a half-burned hamburger patty.

_I’m serious, you’re not sleeping in my bed with garbage stink._

_Don’t worry so much,_ Neil replied in amusement as he jumped out and continued his tour of campus. _Of course I’ll wash up. I don’t enjoy the garbage stink either, and my nose is way more sensitive than yours._

_Good,_ Andrew said and watched as he explored the buildings around campus, occasionally strengthening or adding to the wards, though he was more concerned with the safety of Fox Tower. When he got to the towering Exy stadium, he let out a pathetic whine and shivered with want.

_Andrew…_ he started.

_No,_ Andrew replied and twitched in bed. _I’m too tired tonight. Another night. I promise._

Neil whined again but resigned himself to pacing the perimeter and adding layers upon layers of wards; the other athlete familiars belonged to people on the football and hockey teams, he’d picked up, so the Exy stadium was naked and vulnerable. He took his time with the stadium, covering every vulnerable point and adding his burning-bright wards to the entrances, exits and windows as high as he could jump. When Andrew had enough energy to take him there for night practice, he’d finish off the job for the parts he couldn’t reach. He made the stadium as safe and protected as he could, and added a few sneaky wards for strength and endurance on the team entrance.

_Isn’t that cheating?_ Andrew pointed out.

_It’s not like I’m hiding steroids in the lockers,_ Neil disagreed. _These will just add a bit of a rush for a short while, it probably won’t last past the first ten minutes. Besides, you saw the ones for luck and prosperity on the football field. I’m not stooping that low._ He sneezed derisively.

_You say that like I really care,_ Andrew said.

Neil wagged his tail briefly and stayed staring at the stadium for a few minutes, desperate and anxious. Finally he sighed and turned away, taking a route that passed rows of plants and flowers and inspecting them all.

_Sage?_

_Yeah, pick some up,_ Andrew asked. Neil carefully bit off some stems of the sage and a few other plants and carried them in his jaws. He was heading back to the tower after eating some worms and slugs ( _and brush your teeth,_ Andrew had said while Neil laughed) when a small owl swooped overhead and landed on a nearby tree branch. Neil set down his plants carefully and sat back on his haunches, ears pricked.

_Good evening,_ the owl greeted solemnly. Andrew had the vague urge to snicker; owls were always so pretentious and formal.

_Good evening,_ Neil said politely. _Was I disturbing your hunt?_

_Not at all,_ she replied graciously. _I simply wished to make your acquaintance, as you are new to campus. It might benefit you to know that these plants here belong to one of the chemistry witches, and they may not appreciate your borrowing cuttings._

_I apologise, I thought these were in free territory,_ Neil replied and laid his head on his paws submissively. _I will ask next time._

_That is proper,_ the owl approved coolly. She cocked her head and looked at him a bit more closely. _You are carrying your witch with you._

_I am_ , Neil replied, his tail twitching for a moment in repressed annoyance as he tried to keep his docile, polite front. _It is our first night here, and we wished to learn the layout of campus. We don’t like being separated for too long._

_That is… unusual,_ the owl said with just a hint of disapproval.

_I’m sorry you think so,_ Neil said with just a bit of heat. _I didn’t realise it was your concern._

The owl cocked her head in the other direction, then hooted softly. _Impertinence is in your nature, as a fox,_ she said. _I will forgive your rudeness as you are so young, and new to this place. Learn to improve your manners, little one._

With that, she flew away on silent wings. Neil rolled his eyes once she was out of sight and picked up his plant cuttings again. _Owls,_ he muttered darkly to Andrew. _Nosy, conservative busybodies._

_Come back before you offend all the familiars on campus,_ Andrew said. _It’s cold in here with the window open._

_Oh, I see, you just want your hot water bottle,_ Neil grinned as he trotted briskly back towards the dorms.

_Obviously._

Neil climbed up the fire escape, pressed a last ward for safety and security into the windowsill, and wriggled through the open window into the living room. He gently set down the plants in his mouth and concentrated. After a few minutes, a young man sat naked on the floor, small but long-limbed with fiery hair and icy eyes. He stretched his limbs carefully, then stood and closed the window. He set the cuttings carefully in the pots of earth Andrew had prepared earlier and made sure they had enough water to last the night; Andrew would encourage their growth in the morning. He stepped into the bathroom and breathed another ward for silence on the locked door, so Nicky and Aaron wouldn’t hear the shower come on. He brushed his teeth, avoiding the mirror as always, and tilted his head up into the water.

Once his hair was washed – and therefore his fox fur – he looked down at himself in amusement, knowing Andrew was still with him. _Are you going to join me?_ He teased as he ran his hands down his slick, firm, scarred stomach towards his groin.

Andrew was tempted for a moment, but he could feel how tired they both were. _Not right now,_ he replied, though it had been too long since they’d been able to touch each other as humans. _Come to bed._

Neil yawned in agreement and finished his shower quickly. He smudged a hand through the silence ward, unlocked the door, and changed back to his fox form. Andrew had a briefly jarring moment of seeing his own sleeping body through Neil’s eyes as he jumped up onto the bed. They sighed in unison as Neil curled up in his usual spot in the crooks of Andrew’s bent knees, radiating sleepy heat.

_Goodnight,_ Neil murmured, and they relinquished their shared sight for real slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

Andrew woke when Nicky’s alarm started chirping in increasingly loud increments. Unfortunately Nicky always slept through it. So, by default, it had become Aaron’s cue to throw a pillow at him as his _actual_ alarm. It worked surprisingly well, though Andrew wasn’t a fan. Adjusting to the new dorm routine this past week had been a challenge; he hadn’t shared a room with anyone since getting out of juvie, and had got used to the quiet sounds of just himself and Neil.

Neil stirred from his curled-up position behind Andrew’s knees and slowly turned over to sprawl on his back with a complaining whine.

_Why this. Every morning. I’m supposed to be nocturnal, you know._

_Because Nicky is a pest,_ Andrew replied calmly and sat up in bed. _I thought you’d know this by now._

_I suppose,_ Neil grumbled. His paws twitched and he huffed. _Good morning._

_Hi. Your dreams were weird._

_I’m aware of that,_ Neil shot back and twitched some more. Andrew sighed, feeling the shadowy urge to run and hide himself, leftovers from Neil’s intense dreams. He reached down and gently rested his hand on Neil’s ribcage, prompting a slow sigh from his familiar.

_You’re safe,_ Andrew assured him and gently rubbed his hand in careful circles. He watched with vague amusement as tension melted out of his fox to be replaced by sprawling limbs and a pathetically swishing tail. He squirmed under Andrew’s hand and hummed quietly in his head.

Eventually Neil rolled out from under his hand and flopped instead in his lap, legs raised expectantly. Andrew rolled his eyes but obliged and started gently rubbing his paws and over his joints in the slow, careful way Neil needed when his memories and dreams crowded too close and it took all he had to stay with Andrew and not run to save his own skin.

“Why this every morning?” Aaron grumbled as he scrambled down the ladder and saw what his brother was doing. “Seriously, it’s weird.”

“It’s a witch thing,” Andrew replied without a blink, the usual excuse rolling smoothly off his tongue.

“No it’s _not_ , I’ve never heard of any witch playing with their familiar like you do,” Aaron insisted, arms folded and a scowl already on his face. “It’s _weird_ and vaguely disturbing and masturbatory _._ ”

“I could have sworn I didn’t ask for his opinion,” Andrew said out loud to his fox in a tone of wonder. “How amazing.”

Neil grinned and batted playfully at Andrew’s hands. _I wonder what he would do if I transformed and kissed you right now._

_He’d probably have a heart attack,_ Andrew replied. _Though that would be funny._

_Ooh, don’t tempt me._

_Bad fox,_ Andrew teased lightly and fluffed up his fur in the wrong direction. Neil whined and sat up with an affronted sneeze. He shook himself thoroughly to settle his fur and get it to lay flat again.

Aaron left the room grumbling and muttering to himself. Nicky slowly rolled out of bed.

“What the heck, did I sleep through my alarm again? Oh man.”

“Semester timings are gonna kick your ass.”

“Yes Andrew, thank you, my ray of morning sunshine,” Nicky muttered and rubbed a hand through his hair. “Sleep okay? Oh hey Red!”

Andrew grunted noncommittally and watched as Nicky swooped in to pat Neil’s head quickly, earning a happy lick to his fingers.

_Nicky wouldn’t fluff my fur the wrong way. He’d treat me right._

_Oh, shut up,_ Andrew replied. _Do you want to come to practice today?_

The effect was immediate. Neil abandoned Nicky’s hand in a flash and bounced back into Andrew’s lap, standing up on his hind legs and resting his forepaws on Andrew’s chest. He pressed his head gently against Andrew’s jaw and licked his neck, shivering with excitement.

_I do, I really do._

_Uh huh._ Andrew rested his hand over his fox’s head and slowly stroked down to the base of his tail. _You’re so dramatic._

_You like it,_ Neil teased back and nudged his cold, wet nose into the hinge of Andrew’s jaw. _You like the big gestures and ridiculous things I say. I’m in your head, remember, I know it makes you feel wanted._

For a second Andrew ached to have Neil in his human form, sitting snug in his lap and long-limbed and giving kisses with such sweet softness… but there was a joy in his fox form too, with his warm fur and easily-carried body, the simple security of being able to touch affectionately without being afraid of being seen, or the repercussions in his own brain. When the nightmares came, it was easier all round to have a small animal in his bed rather than another person.

Neil pawed gently at his chest to draw him out of those thoughts and earned another slow stroke down his spine.

“Aww,” Nicky crooned as he watched them and Andrew started slightly; sometimes he got so wrapped up in _Neil_ that he forgot others were around. Maybe they’d been right, that first night, and he should try and socialise more with people.

He cleared his throat and let go of his fox, who jumped down onto the floor happily.

“Breakfast,” Andrew muttered and followed Neil into the kitchen. Aaron was already halfway through making eggs and bacon for everyone; with the three of them living together the past few years, they’d developed a rota for cooking. Nicky had done most of it while they were in school, but now that was done the twins would swap dinners or breakfasts for their two thirds of the week. Aaron specialised in breakfasts (and when he felt in the mood to make pancakes, Andrew would accept no other recipe) while Andrew was better with big, savoury meals. Neil was a surprisingly dab hand with cakes and sweets, but these occasional mysterious tins of goodies were always attributed to Andrew, as Aaron and Nicky had no idea the family fox could also be a young man with perfectly functional human hands, when he chose.

Neil was busy trying to suck up to Aaron, pawing at his pants leg, twining around his feet like a cat and making pathetic noises until Aaron caved and dropped a bit of bacon into the dog bowl Neil used sometimes when he couldn’t scavenge enough food, and had to rely on what his humans provided.

_Do you have no shame?_ Andrew asked, watching this spectacle.

_Not really,_ Neil replied as he tucked into his breakfast. _I seem to be eating a lot faster than you, anyway. Maybe you should try it._

_Fuck off,_ Andrew said mildly, hearing Neil’s answering snort in his head. Aaron started plating up food for the rest of his family while Nicky fixed their coffees and Andrew cleared the table. They ate in sleepy, easy silence. Andrew half-ignored Neil’s smug way of licking his chops and cleaning his fur, satisfied with his begged breakfast.

The three of them took turns dressing casually and Andrew occupied himself with his plants while they waited for a knock on their door. He checked the soil on the new cuttings and carefully lifted the leaves of some of them, blowing gently across them to encourage better growth with his magic-tainted breath. He felt his plants hum contentedly, but one or two were giving sour noises instead of the usual happy chorus. He frowned and pushed his fingers carefully under the soil of the discordant ones, breathing slowly and letting his eyelids flutter closed.

He lost himself for a little while in the slow trickle of water, being drawn up through roots; in the taste and security of soil; in the quiet, simple joy of sunlight on his leaves, making him glow from the inside out; in the happiness of growth, of striving upwards, the muted excitement of getting ready to put forth new buds and the beginnings of flowers. He found the cause of distress and absently lifted a soil-covered finger to his mouth to suck on it. He didn’t hear Aaron’s revolted noise and concentrated instead on the taste – too bitter, something almost acid had crept into the soil. He thought it might be the different water supply, a slightly different balance of chemicals and minerals in there from the supply in their house in Columbia. Might even be something from the pipes.

Moving half in a haze, his mind still occupied with plant concerns, he moved to his more mature plant pots and carefully plucked some leaves. His eyes were mostly closed, moving through his Other senses, informed by knowledge that was half instinct and half learned.

_Some rosemary too,_ Neil advised quietly, watching off to the side.

Andrew nodded vaguely and added a few sprigs to his handfuls. He walked back to the sink, where Aaron edged away uneasily. He swayed a little as he carefully shredded the leaves together in his hands, then began making them into a pulp with the tap water, until he had a compact mass of oozing green mush in his hands.

He breathed on it slowly three times, then licked a fingertip thoughtfully. Yes, that tasted right. He added another five drops of water and wandered back to the windowsill and occupied himself slowly portioning out the mush and packing it into the soil of his more vulnerable and new plants, tucking it gently around the filaments of their roots with delicate fingertips. There, that should help them filter out the worst and get used to the new water, and give them a bit of a boost as well in the meantime.

He stood just touching his plants for a few minutes longer, hearing them croon happily as they sucked up water through the sieve of the pulp. He smiled just a little, feeling their happiness like a sugar rush fizzing through him. He drifted, held safe and secure in the slow, steady world of his plants. The business of human life and noise faded away, until all that mattered was the sun on his face and the soil in his hands, rooting him, connecting him, grounding him. His memories and mind were quiet, a dose of soothing contentment that gentled the harsh edges of old anger and helplessness just a little more each time.

“…doing his Nature Boy thing,” Aaron was muttering to Nicky and the upperclassmen who’d gathered to all walk down to the court together, not that Andrew could really hear them or register their appearance or his unintended audience.

“He might be a while,” Nicky added to Dan. He looked at his watch, then turned to Neil who was calmly sitting and watching Andrew – back straight, ears pricked forward, eyes keen and far more knowing than any normal animal. Nicky crouched down by the unnaturally still fox and carefully waved his hand in front of the fox’s eyes.

Neil blinked and slowly tilted his head to survey Nicky. He might not be able to talk to Nicky like this, but Nicky could read his unnerving look just fine.

“Hey, Red,” Nicky whispered. “Think you could hurry him along a bit?”

Nicky had the uncanny sense of a question in the fox’s eyes, similar to Andrew’s usual _what’s in it for me?_ look. In answer, he wiggled a spare bit of bacon in the air between them in clear bribe. The fox considered the offering solemnly, then levelled Nicky with a distinctly disdainful look and turned up his nose.

“Please, Red?” Nicky wheedled. “We all really need to get going, we’ll be late to the court for practice.”

That was more successful at getting the fox’s attention, and he gave a very human-looking nod before walking over to where Andrew stood, gently swaying like a sapling in the breeze, face turned up to the sunny window with his eyes wide and unseeing, and his hands spread over his plants. Neil jumped up onto the desk by him and watched for another moment more, then sighed in quiet reluctance and leaned up to gently lick Andrew’s fingers.

_Andrew?_ He called softly. _Andrew, come back._

_No,_ Andrew mumbled back indistinctly. _Don’t want to._

_I know,_ Neil replied. _I’d rather not disturb you, but the team is here. They want to go to practice._

_Exy,_ Andrew scoffed. _Fuck that._

_Come on,_ Neil pushed just a bit, though his voice was fond. _You can come back later. You can’t put down roots all day, you’re not a plant boy. Things to do. Besides, I’d miss you if you turned into a tree._

Andrew made an indistinct noise, half in his head and half in his throat.

_Andrew,_ Neil crooned and licked his hand thoroughly, distracting him from the plants. _Andrew, come on now. Andrew, Andrew…_

Andrew sighed as Neil successfully intruded on the connection and reeled him back to the human world again. He blinked and flexed his fingers. He held his arms out silently and Neil allowed himself to be scooped up and cradled into Andrew’s chest.

_It’s okay, I’m here,_ Neil murmured soothingly and nuzzled into Andrew’s chest, just over his heart. _You’re okay._

They both knew Andrew couldn’t express the sense of loss that came with relinquishing that serenity and stillness; all Neil could do was be there for him in the aftermath, as his brain switched back on at a merciless pace, a relentless feedback loop of memory and thought and sensation. He groaned quietly and Neil licked his cheek.

_Abram_ , Andrew whispered, sending a shiver through them both.

_That’s right, I’m here,_ Neil replied.

“I love your plants,” said a new voice, intruding so abruptly they both twitched in alarm. Matt Boyd smiled guilelessly from where he had crept forward to inspect the windowsill, fingers gently trailing over stems and leaves. “They feel so happy, so healthy. Wow. We should talk shop sometime.”

“Talk shop,” Andrew repeated tonelessly while Neil nuzzled into his chest.

“Yeah,” Matt grinned and wiggled his fingers. “I’m a greenthumb myself, but I think I’m pretty far behind you. Having a familiar must help, right?”

“It’s two-way,” Andrew replied without really thinking about it. “It has to be equal. That’s the point.”

“Oh.” Matt looked taken aback for a second but then he was smiling again. “Well, I’m learning already. What were you doing to the plants just now, with the leaves and water?”

A cough – Nicky from the door. “Why don’t you talk it over on the way to the court?”

_Yes!_ Neil agreed eagerly, beginning to squirm in his arms. _Let’s go, let’s go._

_Junkie,_ Andrew muttered, but let him down to the floor and stepped into his shoes. He coolly ignored the rest of the team as they walked en masse to the Foxhole Court, though he permitted Matt to chatter away and answered in short, factual snippets about what he’d been doing when Matt and Neil cajoled. Neil spent the walk bouncing and prancing along beside him.

_Be glad you’re colour-blind,_ Andrew remarked as they walked through the eyesore of a structure towards the changing rooms; Andrew had noted with some satisfaction that Neil’s wards were still sitting pretty and vigilant on the exteriors.

Neil didn’t reply in words, more of a happy wriggle and turning tight circles as he waited for Andrew to finish changing into his kit; as it was summer, the family had been part of the informal training sessions since moving in, but Neil had been too overwhelmed and tired from his nightly patrols to come back to the stadium, especially not during the day.

They rejoined the girls as they walked onto court, and Neil regretfully stayed at the bench and watched as Andrew bolted the court doors.

_Behave,_ Andrew told him, earning a derisive flick of the tail. Neil settled on the home bench where he could see the court, a comfortable distance from Wymack. He was still skittish around men of that age, but he could bear it easier in his fox form, with his small body and fast feet and sharp teeth if they were needed.

Andrew forced his split attention back to the court and the warmups Dan was putting them through, stretching out even if he had no intention of exerting himself unnecessarily. Once everyone was ready, he set up position in the goal, ready for the first striker drills. He set his sights on Gordon and the other fifth-year strikers, watching their body language to try and anticipate their likely attack patterns. None of them seemed made for subtlety, and he didn’t have to work too hard to clear their shots.

His concentration wasn’t really helped by Neil’s excited commentary in his head with every shot.

_Stop that,_ Andrew said eventually, _I can’t think when you’re yelling like that._

_Sorry,_ Neil apologised immediately, and when Andrew glanced over at the bench he saw Neil was bouncing and jumping with excess energy. Wymack was watching him with surprised amusement. Andrew shook his head and turned back to the court. After another couple minutes, Renee came forward to swap out with him.

“Nice job,” she said serenely. “Your familiar’s certainly having a good time.”

“He’s a nuisance about Exy,” Andrew replied. Over the past week he’d had fleeting contact with the other goalie, limited to the most boring of subjects – Exy. But with every word they exchanged, Andrew’s curiosity grew. There was obviously _something_ lurking behind that sweet, pious exterior, and Neil always had good instincts. There was something weird about this one, and it was interesting enough to make it worth the small talk, trying to figure her out.

“Really?” She smiled. “You don’t feel the same?”

“He feels more strongly about it than I do.”

“That’s a shame, you’re very skilled. If a bit poor on finesse.”

Andrew raised his eyebrows slowly. “Gee. Thanks.”

Renee smiled back sweetly. “Oh, you’re welcome. I’m sure once you’re more used to our strikers, you’ll get used to their attack styles. If you ever want any tips, I’m always around. You are supposed to be my eventual replacement, anyway.”

Andrew shrugged vaguely and kept watching her.

She smiled wider and flicked a quick glance to the bench. Andrew didn’t have to look to know that Neil had gone still and tense, watching their exchange with his hackles raised.

“Maybe we could meet up sometime to chat?” She suggested, eyes half on his familiar. Neil barked, sharp and loud as a gunshot to make everyone flinch.

_Stop that,_ Andrew told him calmly. _I’m dealing with it._ “Sure,” he replied out loud. “Coffee or some shit.”

“That would be lovely,” she beamed, and clacked racquets as they swapped places. He stood off to the side and watched her do her part in the drills, thinking hard and considering and rejecting half a dozen theories about her and her particular interest in his fox.

Her suspicious niceness aside, she was a very solid goalie, he noticed. Calm, collected, with quick reflexes. She didn’t quite have his instincts or analytical ability, he’d surmised, but she made up for it with a dedication to her work that Andrew could never be bothered to muster unless he was playing with Neil. She blocked more shots than he did through passion and energy, but he knew that if he seriously tried he could throw a vastly different take on things.

But, he reminded himself crossly, that was just Exy bullshit.

He ignored Neil’s quiet mental gloating and went back to trying to figure her out instead of actually watching her play. The rest of practice went more according to plan, and while Neil was getting overexcited and yappy from watching them all play, Andrew busied himself trying to guess what made Renee tick.

The team went out for another sloppy pizza dinner while Neil napped and did his own thing for a while. Andrew managed to put up with Matt’s relentless questions; after losing himself in the plants that morning, he had a lot more patience than normal, and could weather annoyances better. It was a little interesting, talking to Matt; he had always been the novice in his conversations with the few other plant witches he’d met, but here he was, considerably more knowledgeable for once. It seemed that Matt had come into himself and his abilities relatively late, maybe only two years previous, while Andrew knew he’d come into his very early. It made for an odd dichotomy of abilities between them, and Andrew had a sneaking suspicion he might end up accidentally tutoring the guy.

When Andrew’s family got back to their dorm, Nicky collapsed into a beanbag and Aaron immediately slouched off to bed. Neil poked his nose out from under the desk long enough to make sure all three were accounted for before trying to snatch another few minutes’ sleep.

Andrew was tempted to lose himself with the plants again, but he didn’t want to lose track of too much time. He knew what Neil was going to ask as soon as he woke up again. So instead he joined Nicky and they silently watched some brainless soap for a while.

Nicky left him to it after a while, vaguely muttering about stupid het romances. Andrew privately agreed, but he wasn’t really paying attention anyway. Eventually, Neil woke up again and padded forward, bright-eyed and full of energy all over again.

_Andrew,_ he started hopefully, _Can we…?_

In answer, Andrew pulled his car keys out of his pocket. Neil perked up ridiculously, tail swishing happily. They slipped out of the dorm and drove to the court, comfortably quiet except for Neil’s restless fidgeting, a ball of nervous energy.

Andrew let them into the changing room and fished out his spare uniform set. He felt a vague tug at his awareness while his back was turned and the noise of someone stumbling. When he turned back around with orange fabric spilling over his hands, there was a wonderfully familiar, naked young man standing there.

“Hello,” he whispered, almost shyly if it weren’t for the gleam in his eyes. Andrew tossed the clothes aside and pulled him in by the hips, drinking in every inch of his pale, silver-lined skin. Their lips slotted together perfectly with a hungry intensity, seeking and tasting and teasing. Andrew ran his palms down Neil’s sides, his warm, soft skin so sweet under his hands as Neil arched and pressed closer with a delicate shiver.

“Abram,” Andrew whispered into his mouth and a jolt of magic sizzled through them both, an echo of the binding they had made so long ago when Andrew was just twelve. Neil groaned as the intensity of it pulled at his heart, renewed and reinvigorated each time Andrew used his secret name, especially in these heated moments. He shuddered helplessly and pressed desperate kisses down Andrew’s neck until the cool air on his very exposed skin helped him remember why they were there.

“I want to play,” he mumbled, voice clumsy from lack of use. “Andrew, the court…”

Andrew sighed impatiently and gave one last lingering stroke to Neil’s hip, then let him go. “Fucking Exy.”

Neil shrugged and grinned. “You get to play all day basically every day, don’t be mean. We can kiss more after.”

Andrew rolled his eyes and they got changed out quickly, collecting racquets and the bucket of balls as they passed. Neil went for a few quick laps of the inner court while Andrew got settled in the goal and adjusted his helmet. When Neil was ready, he scooped up a ball in his racquet and flexed his shoulders.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

Neil grinned and launched the shot; Andrew smacked it away instinctively, batting it back up court. Neil raced for it, long legs unspooling under him and carrying him ungodly fast. He chased the ball down mercilessly and rebound-passed to himself to entire length of the court, angles and arcs meticulous as he played striker, dealer and backliner all by himself. When he was ready to shoot again, Andrew was laser-focussed and ready.

Team practice was barely better than boring most days. Neil was always the brightest spark in any room; if it was him, he could even make Exy… exciting.

They duked it out for well over an hour, trying to outsmart the other, using increasingly wild and speedy shots and rebounds to try and mess with each other, a lightning-fast matching of wits. One day, they would pull past the incessant draw, but tonight the scores were meticulously equal, as always. They simply knew each other far too well for either one to have a definitive advantage.

By the end of it, they were both soaked in sweat and shaking, but Neil’s Cheshire Cat grin never faltered. He was having the time of his life, even as he gasped and sobbed for breath and used his racquet as a crutch.

_That’s enough,_ Andrew said eventually, too winded and tired to bother with words. _We need to rest._

Neil agreed reluctantly and trudged over to press a clumsy kiss on Andrew’s helmet.

“Can we come again tomorrow night?” He asked.

Andrew sighed resignedly. It would just get worse once the Foxes had actual opponents and Neil became infected with season hype. He might as well get used to the lack of sleep now, before classes started.

“Fine,” he muttered. “ _Fine._ ”

Neil hummed and rubbed his cheek against the helmet affectionately. Andrew was about to complain about being forced into double Exy practice, but then Neil promised he’d make a banana and toffee cake as thanks, and suddenly Exy seemed a lot more bearable.


	3. Chapter 3

Warnings for mentions of Renee's backstory, and very brief, nongraphic mentions of animal abuse and death.

* * *

 

“I don’t like it,” Neil mumbled to his sleeve-covered hands, frowning down at his lap.

“I’m aware,” Andrew replied. It was a little difficult for him to concentrate on what Neil was saying when he was – Andrew sighed quietly. Neil was sitting with him on the bed, dressed in Andrew’s team hoodie (it swamped him so prettily despite the colour) and some old sweatpants with his hair all dishevelled from the change of forms… and they were wasting precious empty-dorm time.

“She’s dangerous,” Neil insisted.

“I know. That’s why I need to figure her out.”

“She’s _dangerous_ ,” Neil said again, clenching his hands in the hoodie sleeves.

“You’re talking in circles.”

Neil bit his lip viciously and Andrew reached out to brush his mouth. If Neil bit his lip open he’d whine for days. Neil met his eyes briefly and leaned into his hand instead of biting his lips.

“She really scares me, Andrew. I don’t trust her and I don’t want her anywhere near you.”

“We’re on the same team,” Andrew pointed out logically. “We get locked in a plastic box together for hours every day.”

“Don’t remind me,” Neil muttered darkly. “I hate that I can’t protect you in there.”

“Neil.”

He waited until a pair of beautiful icy eyes met his own, though the anxiety in them wasn’t a very great addition to the usual.

“What exactly is it that makes you so afraid of her?”

Neil gave a shuddering sigh and shuffled closer on the bed, leaning into the hand cupping his cheek. “I don’t know,” Neil admitted in a tiny voice that Andrew hadn’t heard for many years. He swept his thumb over Neil’s cheek as gently as he could. “It’s just… she’s hiding. And lying. And manipulating. She has her own agenda about you and me and I don’t know what. When I look at her, it’s like… a big cloud of smoke hanging over her.”

“In your Other sight?”

Neil nodded and turned his face to nuzzle into Andrew’s palm for a moment. “It pours off her hands and swirls around her head. It scares me so much, Andrew. I’ve never Seen anything like it and I don’t want you getting mixed up with it or her. It makes my fur stand on end and all my instincts scream _danger_ and I won’t let her hurt you.”

“Aren’t you worried she’ll hurt you too?” Andrew asked with a raise to his eyebrows.

“No,” Neil said, predictably. “You’re my priority. I can protect myself.”

“I can protect myself too,” Andrew said quietly.

Neil sighed and gave a shaky smile. He reached up to hold Andrew’s hand in both of his own. “I know, Andrew. Of course I know that. I don’t mean to be… I worry. I don’t ever want to see you hurt again. It’s my job to keep you safe now.”

“And it’s my job to keep you safe as well,” Andrew replied, “And part of that is telling you when you’re over-reacting.”

Neil leaned forward until his cheek squashed against Andrew’s chest. He listened to Andrew’s heartbeat for a minute before gently stroking his chest.

“Be careful around her,” Neil pleaded softly. “I couldn’t stand to see you hurt.”

“I will, I promise,” Andrew said, and easily pulled the skinny young man close into his arms. It was a bit more difficult with substantially longer limbs and a bigger body, but he’d had practice. Neil grinned and kissed his neck a few times.

“How long will the dorm be free?” Neil asked against his skin.

Andrew checked the clock and measured it against how long he knew Nicky and Aaron would take to finish picking up the rest of the furniture from the Columbia house, load it into Matt’s truck, have lunch, and drive back to campus.

“I’d say two hours, give or take.”

“Mmm…” Neil hummed contentedly as he pressed closer. He nosed into Andrew’s neck and started leaving slow, deliberate kisses in a winding trail from his collarbone up to his jaw, sucking just a little on the skin. He stopped just shy of the corner of Andrew’s mouth, and Andrew felt his lips twist in a smirk. “You know, I haven’t had coffee in ages. I’ll make us some.”

He was off the bed and out of the room in a blink, laughing silently in their shared mindspace while Andrew swore.

_You little shit._

_Don’t be such a grouch,_ Neil replied as he got the kettle boiling; he demanded instant freeze-dried crap and refused to touch the percolator and whole beans Nicky loved so much. _A little anticipation is good for the soul._

 _We’ve barely kissed in three months,_ Andrew replied, trying for factual instead of quietly indignant. _My soul is fine on that front._

 _After I have some coffee,_ Neil insisted. _I should change more often just for the food._

Andrew said nothing, telling himself that he wasn’t sulking.

 _And the kissing too, I suppose,_ Neil teased after a long pause, because he was terrible. _That’s pretty nice. This coffee, though. Mm. So good._

Andrew maintained his silence.

 _You know what’s best though?_ Neil continued, amusement under every syllable. _Having your hands and mouth on me._

Andrew’s heart skipped despite himself and he turned his head sharply towards the kitchen, though he refused to move.

_Not as good as pizza, though. Fuck. The things I would do for some pizza…_

_Okay, screw you,_ Andrew shot back. _I’m going for a shower._

Neil’s laughter echoed through the dorm as Andrew headed for the bathroom. He caught up to Andrew just before he slammed the door and tugged gently at his shirt.

“I’m just playing,” he said softly and leaned down to kiss his neck again. “I’ve missed this too. Our family is so fucking nosy.”

Andrew grunted his heartfelt agreement and skimmed his hands down Neil’s sides.

“Would you like some company in the shower?” Neil asked, smiling.

“ _Yes_ , get in here,” Andrew said impatiently, and locked the door behind them both.

Later that afternoon, when the rest of Andrew’s family had returned and his familiar was curled up snoozing in his lap plus a tail and whiskers, there was a chipper little _rat-tat-tat_ on the door that had the three of them staring in shock. Aaron hoisted up his book and looked to Andrew, who gestured to the sleeping pile of fur in his lap and looked to Nicky. Nicky rolled his eyes at having no excuse and two asocial cousins, and got up to get the door.

“Renee!” He beamed and leaned against the doorway. “How spectacular to see you.”

“Hello Nicky,” she replied cheerily, and the sound of her voice was enough to make Neil violently twitch awake and start growling at the door.

 _Stop,_ Andrew said and stroked down his back. It did nothing to calm him and he started growling even louder, clearly agitated from being woken up unexpectedly. He’d been spending more time awake during the day to keep an eye on Andrew and their new surroundings, so he’d been catching naps whenever they weren’t busy. Andrew would say it made him cranky about those naps being interrupted, but ‘cranky’ was too generous a term for it.

Nicky looked back over his shoulder. “Whoa Red, cool the motor. Renee, you wanna come in?”

“Ah, that’s okay,” she smiled at the twins briefly, her eyes lingering on Neil’s raised hackles. “I was hoping maybe Andrew would come for a walk with me, if he wants. Goalie stuff.”

Aaron and Nicky’s eyes immediately swung to the surliest of their trio, waiting to see how rudely he would ignore her or shut her down. Neil barked at her in warning, stepping in front of Andrew only to have his tail gently tugged. He looked back to Andrew, whined unhappily, and stopped growling.

“Sure,” Andrew said blandly to her after a moment. “I’ll get my shoes.”

He ignored his family gaping at him in shock, gently pushed away Neil’s head when he tried climbing back in Andrew’s lap to stop him from leaving, and got his things together. Neil whined again when he was about to step out, ears pressed flat to his skull with anxiety.

Andrew sighed. _You can come along if you promise not to get aggressive without good reason. I won’t be able to figure anything out if you’re snarling in her face or biting her. Yes?_

Neil whined louder, a pathetic near-screech that had Nicky wincing. Andrew crouched and immediately Neil went to him, balancing his forepaws on Andrew’s knees so they could be eye-level.

 _I just want to keep you safe,_ he whispered. _I’m so scared._

 _I’ve got this,_ Andrew assured him quietly, and scratched behind his ears. _Do you promise?_

_I promise._

Andrew rose up from his crouch fluidly just fast enough to catch an odd, wistful look on Renee’s face before she wiped it clean with a placid smile.

“Let’s go then.”

She beamed and started walking, unperturbed when the fox slipped out with them, padding along silently at Andrew’s side. Andrew caught glimpses of the rest of the Fox line watching them pass along the hallway and heard whispers. He definitely heard Aaron shushing Nicky’s speculations. It was almost funny.

“Thank you for coming out with me,” Renee said when they got out of the building. “Both of you.”

Neil huffed peevishly, too agitated to be really paying attention, so Andrew narrowed his eyes enough for both of them and said nothing.

“I thought we could go to the green,” Renee suggested after a brief pause. “Have you been yet? It’s really very pretty, and I thought you might like the trees.”

“Mmhmm.”

They walked in silence from there on the nearly deserted grounds; it was just summer students and athletes around for the next month. He watched Renee out of the corner of his eye as they walked, assessing her smooth, confident gait and the way her eyes were always moving. She didn’t seem like a physical threat, in a floaty sundress and white cardigan, but Andrew had seen the scarring on her knuckles at practice and he noted she always wore thick-soled, substantial shoes. Comfortable for someone who did a lot of walking. Or kicking.

“Let’s sit in the shady area,” Renee suggested when they reached the open grassy area at the middle of campus. “It’s usually so crammed in nice weather, it’ll be lovely to be the only people there for once.”

“Sure.”

He followed her to the stands of trees along one edge, absently admiring the lushness of the grass and glossiness of the leaves and bark, before carefully sitting between three large roots snaking over the topsoil in a rough triangular arrangement. As soon as he sat down and touched the earth, he felt at home. At ease. He was in his element – she couldn’t harm him while he was a brief touch away from tapping into the awesome, steady power of all the trees surrounding them, never mind the placid bank of energy provided by the grass, easy to borrow. It even calmed Neil down as he perched on top of another root, feeling the serenity and sense of power through his connection with Andrew.

Renee smiled pleasantly as she settled her dress around her legs, just out of arms reach. “This is nice, isn’t it?”

“What are you expecting out of this?” Andrew asked in reply. “What do you want?”

“Who’s to say I simply didn’t want to walk out with a cute boy?” Renee smiled back. “No doubt that’s what everyone else is betting on back at Fox Tower.”

“Because you stare at him,” Andrew said, flicking his eyes deliberately to his fox. “And you watch us. All the time.”

Her smiled faltered a little and she smoothed her hands over her knees. “I suppose I do.”

“So what’s your agenda? What do you want?” Andrew asked again.

“No real agenda. I suppose I’m drawn in by you both. I can’t really help it.”

Andrew squinted and discreetly pushed his fingers into the earth under one of the roots, ready to call on its power.

Renee sighed, losing her calm façade until she looked a hell of a lot more real. She fixed her eyes on Neil’s tense form.

“My familiar died a few years ago,” she said quietly. “I miss her.”

Andrew blinked and exchanged a quick look with Neil. Nearly a minute passed before Andrew replied, also quiet.

“How did she die?”

Renee looked down at her hands for a little while. “Do you want to know how I qualify for the Fox line?” She asked back.

“I guess, if you’re desperate to tell me.”

“My mother had several bad habits. One of those was drugs, several others were very abusive boyfriends. I was born Natalie Shields, and I lived in Detroit. We were very poor, mostly due to my mother’s habits. I was working on the street by the time I was ten to get us enough money for food. It didn’t start off too bad – helping run a stall at the flea-market, running deliveries between small businesses, stacking shelves when someone needed a hand.”

“Did you start stealing?” Andrew asked casually.

She nodded. “At first it was just food, and I told myself it was okay because we had nothing. Then it was cigarettes and liquor for the boyfriends, and I told myself it was okay because if I didn’t do it they would hurt me. And then it turned to flipping electronics from questionable sources, because my mother needed the money to fund her habits, and I didn’t want to be hurt all the time. Then… then the gangs started taking notice. I got in really deep before I knew what I was in for.” She swallowed and clenched her hands briefly. “I started to get a reputation for being someone who would do any job, and do it well. I got my hands dirty, hurt people, killed people, and I told myself it was okay because I had no other options.”

Neil slowly edged closer to Andrew until he was sitting by his leg, ready to leap forwards if needed. His hackles were up again but at least he wasn’t growling.

“I found my powers in the middle of all that. I was a water witch. There was another in my gang, and he taught me… bad ways to use my abilities. Ways to manipulate any liquids, ways to fill people’s lungs with water, ways to make them sick with watery bowels or mad with thirst. I knew it was deeply, deeply wrong but I couldn’t see any way out, and using my abilities, feeling strong and powerful and in control was…”

“Addictive,” Andrew supplied.

She nodded again, smoothing her dress obsessively. She took a deep breath, and sighed it out heavily. “My familiar came to me one night after I’d drowned a man for my boss. She told me she’d come because she felt my need calling to her, and that if I continued as I was I would end up dead from misusing my powers; that they would sour in me and kill me. She said she could help me get away from everything and start over. She said she could help me learn how to use my abilities responsibly, and gain control over my life. We made our bargain, and talking with her felt like I was already free.”

Andrew reached out to bury a hand in Neil’s fur without conscious thought, remembering all too well their own meeting in a shabby little park in Oakland, both bleeding and exhausted and scared. Neil huddled against his side, shivering slightly.

“She started teaching me in secret, posing as my new pet. We both knew if my boss found out I had a familiar, there was no way I was ever escaping, not with all this new potential for my abilities. We started planning how to get me out, how to start over, how to run. We were so close.” She covered her mouth with one hand as her eyes filled and began to silently spill.

“How did she die?” Andrew asked again in a low voice.

“My boss must have been suspecting for a while,” Renee said shakily, all walls broken down. When she looked at Andrew, the blankness in her gaze was an eerie reflection. “I think he’d been trying to force my need, in hindsight. An easily controlled teenage witch was one thing, but a teenage witch under his thumb with more power than most adult witches? He wanted that very badly. He confronted us. He took her away and started hurting her, and we hadn’t been together long enough for her to have strong defenses. I could… I could feel every cut and broken bone and blow. I could hear her screaming.”

She tapped her forehead and wiped her eyes. Andrew watched, numb and trying not to imagine feeling Neil hurting like that.

“He said he would stop, he would give her back to me, if we swore a blood oath to always obey him. I just wanted her to stop hurting, so I agreed. Her injuries… she could barely breathe. Later that night, I slit his throat for what he’d done. And then I called the cops on all of them, and put my familiar out of her pain.”

Her voice trembled on the last word as she stared at her trembling hands.

“I thought I would go mad with grief and guilt. And for a while I might have done. I was put in protective isolation in juvie, and I was heavily monitored. By the time I got out and into the foster system, I was just surviving because she’d always wanted me to get out of that life and carry on. It wasn’t until Stephanie Walker found me that I really started living again. She adopted me, changed my name, and introduced me to the power of forgiveness and faith. I’m still trying to learn how to forgive myself.”

Andrew said nothing and didn’t release his tight hold around Neil’s shaking body, curled in tight to his chest. Neil was whining quietly under his breath, distressed little noises that hurt the heart as much as the ears.

Renee looked up from her hands and tried on a wan smile as she wiped her eyes. “I think that’s why your familiar is wary of me. I met a curse witch once who said I appear… unsettling.”

Andrew nodded slowly and eased a hand over Neil’s back. “He says you look surrounded by smoke. It frightens him.”

She nodded back and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Thank you both for listening. When I see you two, it helps me remember her when she was happy, and in my arms. I’m sorry for staring.”

Neil gave a full body shudder and Andrew squeezed him tight for a few moments.

 _Ask what form her familiar took_ , Neil asked. Andrew relayed it and watched as a soft, joyful smile eased over her face; a genuine one, rather than the unsettling pleasant mask.

“She was a pitbull,” Renee replied, quietly proud. “A beautiful, gentle, white and tan pitbull with the biggest smile. She loved corned beef and belly rubs, always asked me to braid her hair, and I miss her every day.”

Neil snaked out of Andrew’s arms and slowly approached Renee, hesitant and wary and still very much afraid. But he stepped closer, with the same manner of someone cringingly approaching a roaring fire. And he licked her fingers. He nudged at her hand until she carefully rested it on top of his head. He was still shaking all over, eyes wide and jaws drawn back in fright from her proximity, but he stayed there.

“Thank you,” Renee whispered to him, and very slowly rubbed behind his ears the way she’d seen Andrew do it.

Andrew shoved down a rush of sick panic and possessiveness as he watched her _touch him like that…_ but then Neil spoke.

_I’m yours, AJ. Don’t worry._

It sent a shock all through him and tugged on his heart as if a hand had sunk into his chest and squeezed. _And I’m yours, Abram._

Neil shuddered and slowly relaxed enough to sit as Renee carefully stroked over his head, looking teary again and whispering her thanks.

“Why did you tell me all that?” Andrew asked roughly.

“Because I knew you would understand,” she said. “Everyone else on the team has been wonderful about my second chance. Coach and Abby and Betsy – our team psychiatrist, you’ll meet her soon – they know everything, and I told Dan and Allison, but none of them really understand. Dan’s a witch, but she doesn’t have a familiar. Betsy does, but she isn’t allowed to talk about it with patients. When I saw you with your fox, it… it felt like recognition. I know that to have found your familiar so young, you must have been through some terrible things too. I knew you would understand, and you’d feel why I miss my familiar so much.”

Andrew took some slow breaths and drew a little on the tree roots to ground himself and calm his thoughts.

“You said you _were_ a water witch.”

“Mm. I haven’t used my powers since she died.”

Andrew raised his eyebrows and rolled dirt between his palms. “What’s that accomplishing? If you don’t keep in touch with the power you’ll wither. What’s the point of living like she wanted if you’re just going to die in a couple years?”

 _Andrew, Christ,_ Neil said sharply, his tail twitching.

Renee was looking at him in shock, mouth open and eyes wide.

“Punishing yourself for helping her die is all well and good, but it will literally kill _you_ if you avoid your power for much longer. Would she really want that? You’re being stupid, Walker. Martyrs might get honoured after they die, but once you’re dead it’s done. You can only atone or do penitence or _whatever_ if you’re alive to feel it. Death doesn’t do shit to balance the books.”

She stared at him in shock for another few minutes. Then, slowly, she smiled. “Will you help me, Andrew?”

“I don’t know a thing about water stuff.”

“I know. I’m not asking for lessons. Just… supervision. I think if I tried to touch my power again on my own, the grief would kill me.”

“What would I get out of it?”

The look she turned on him was too knowing for comfort. “How about someone to be there for you if you want to talk? How about someone who understands how different your life is when you’re like us? How about a friend?”

He had to look away, and in a heartbeat Neil had left her and was back in his arms, pressing close against his chest and nosing into his neck. His warmth and weight and softness were anchors, the ground under him firm and unyielding.

He swallowed hard and scowled at the ground. “Fine,” he said tightly. “It’s a deal.”

Neil gently nuzzled into his neck and swished his tail. _Nicky will be very proud. And I am too._

Andrew sighed and closed a hand firmly around the tree root, flinging his mind down into the soil to get away from all the memory gunk her sob story had dredged up. Renee let him be and laid down on the grass beside him, looking up through the shimmering green canopy towards the bright blue sky.

When Andrew slowly came back to himself, he simply held his fox for a while and watched the clouds move across the sky with Renee. When they got bored of that, they started slowly walking back towards the dorms. They didn’t talk much, but Andrew started to feel at least a little okay in her company. She certainly wasn’t boring. She might be okay to hang out with occasionally.

“I had a nice time,” Renee smiled as they approached their doors, her eyes shining a bit with mischief. “Thanks, Andrew. We should do this again sometime.”

“Yeah,” Andrew replied flatly. “Definitely.”

She chuckled quietly, casting a glance at the carefully-cracked doors of their teammates, no doubt all listening in and watching. She crouched down and slowly held out her palm to Neil, who hesitantly licked it before retreating back around Andrew’s legs. They heard a very Nicky-like squawk and Andrew rolled his eyes.

“See you in practice, Andrew.”

“Yeah. Bye, Renee.”

He and his familiar slipped through their door and locked it securely. Andrew folded his arms at Nicky and Aaron, who’d been huddled by the doorway.

“Andrew,” Nicky gushed, “Did you, Andrew Joseph Minyard, just have your very own _first date_? Was it awesome? I bet it was awesome! Do you like her? Oh man you _must_ , she’s so sweet even I might be tempted, she’s so pretty, I’m very proud of you, my dude, oh man--!”

“Shut the fuck up,” Andrew sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache. “It was not a date. We went to the green and talked about Exy.”

“For like two hours!” Nicky said joyfully, waving his arms around. “Awww, Andrew, Andy, you don’t need to be shy! Let me have this moment as a proud mother!”

Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose and ignored Neil’s laughter in his head. “It was not a date. Shut up.”

“You’re embarrassing him, Nicky,” Aaron said, apparently bored but his mouth was twitching. “Give him the sex talk later when I’m not around. You can borrow my high school textbooks.”

Andrew glared at his twin.

“What?” Aaron smirked. “She’s cute. Go for it.”

“I hate you both,” Andrew announced dispassionately, and locked himself in the bedroom to do something that might, to an outsider, closely resemble sulking.

 _Shut up_ , he told Neil, who was laughing hysterically just outside the door. Neil just laughed harder.


	4. Chapter 4

Content warnings for: grief, anxiety, malnutrition, vague mentions of injuries, self harm, and allusions to sexual abuse (non-graphic). Basically all canon warnings for Neil and Andrew's backstories, but nothing is explicit other than mentions of injury. Any concerns or questions, contact me at my [tumblr](http://www.spanglebangle.tumblr.com/ask) as always.

EDIT: check out this adorable piece of chibi art by the lovely cats-are-assholes! Thank you![ (x)](http://cats-are-assholes.tumblr.com/post/168050992179/good-magic-fox-he-muttered-half-mockingly-and)

* * *

 

_Seven years earlier_

 

Neil peered from behind the dumpster warily, nose-first to try and scent out whether it was safe to move or not. Dusk was still a few hours away, when most of the night hunters and scavengers would be out. There would be safety in numbers from the humans in the city, but he was frightened to run into any other animals, too. Maybe now, when most humans were gone and most animals were still asleep, would be the better time for him to find some food.

The squeeze and ache in his guts seemed to agree, and he couldn’t help but lick his lips as thirst made itself known too. He stepped forward just once before his legs started to shake and his heart started galloping. He darted back behind the safety of the dumpster – dark, cool, out of sight, pungent enough to hide his scent from other predators.

 _Please_ , he begged himself, _Please, let’s just get through this. I need to eat._

He tried imagining his mother’s harsh words, telling him to get a move on and stop dithering, to make a decision and go for it, but his grief wouldn’t let him be motivated by it, only hurt.

He laid down and tucked his head under his paws, shaking, trying to block out the world and his mind all at once. He could hear himself panting and whining pathetically, short sharp noises that hurt his chest as well as his ears. He told himself to shut up, not to attract attention, but all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball tiny enough to hide him from everything. He wanted a three-course meal. He wanted a bath, God, he hadn’t been able to clean himself since… he couldn’t remember. He wanted to transform back to a boy again and see if he’d grown in the three years since he’d changed forms last, but he was stuck. He hadn’t wanted to change for such a long time after her death, and now he didn’t have the energy or power to even attempt it. Whenever he tried even thinking about it, a tearing pain seemed to rip through him and he wasn’t sure if it was a magical, physical or psychological pain anymore.

 _I’m so tired of this,_ he sobbed, knowing no one could hear him. _I’m so tired of everything. I want it to end. I want to stop hurting._

Then, a feeling of need, like a tug on his tail, strong enough to startle him to his feet with whimpers dying in his throat. It was the same call that had brought him meandering to this city, coming and going at odd moments, vaguely shepherding him in one direction then abandoning him for weeks at a time.

It tugged again and he stumbled out of the alleyway with barely an anxious glance at the sky. He knew he had to follow it as long as he could; it was a bone-deep knowing, more instinct than thought. He’d never dared to hope he’d find what was at the other end of the call some day, knowing his mother would hate him for obeying it, but he’d never felt it so strongly before, so insistently.  It had him trotting along the edges of streets and winding through alleys he’d never dared venture into before, his fur standing on end all along his back with the instinct to make himself seem bigger, less scrawny, more capable than he was just in case. He jumped over oily puddles left by unhealthy cars, picked his way through litter, and made his way through the urban centre he knew best towards the suburbs.

 _What could be out here?_ He wondered. He hadn’t come out to this part of the city before; although in some ways it could have been safer, with less traffic, it would also be harder for him to hide here. House-proud residents would quickly notice a filthy scavenger like himself nosing around their bins and would take action to shoo him away. At least hidden away in alleys reeking of refuse and abandonment, he had been able to make a small place of safety for himself. Out here, on the wide streets and beside all these large expanses of carefully-maintained gardens, he felt far too exposed.

Another hard tug pulled him away from the houses, thankfully, and towards a small park area. There was an open grassy bit that smelled distinctly of dog urine and picnic food, a playset with swings and a slide on woodchips to cushion any fragile little bones, and a fringe area with tall trees. Neil hid under a bench for a few minutes despite the urgency of the call, planning out his route towards the trees. He whined unhappily and scolded himself for making the noise; the habit of chittering and ‘talking’ to himself had sprung up some time after his mother’s death, and he knew it was sure to get him hurt one day, even if it felt comforting to hear something like a voice. He didn’t want to run out in the open across the grass, though that was the most direct route. He couldn’t see or scent any predators, but he didn’t trust his nose in such an unfamiliar scentscape. He tried to figure out the time by human standards. It seemed like it was coming up to maybe five in the evening? He wasn’t entirely sure. But he knew that if he waited much longer, humans would start moving as they left work for their homes, and the park would fill with dog-walkers and people exercising. He had to move fast.

He turned a quick, anxious circle and chewed on his tail for a few minutes to soothe himself. Then, he took a deep breath, gathered his legs under him, and sprinted for the trees like his life depended on it.

He made it in safely, but didn’t stop running until he was well into the shady depths and surrounded on all sides by comforting bushes. He hid under them to catch his breath, wriggling down to the space between the lowest branches and the soil. He nosed into the soil a little, finding the earthy tang as oddly comforting as always as he waited for his heartbeat to settle down and the remaining anxious tremble to vanish from his legs.

Once he was calm, the pulling caught his attention again. It was still insistent, but it felt almost gentler, more hesitant. As if it were telling him to be cautious. Intrigued, he crept silently through the brush towards the source. Soon, he began to smell traces of humans; cigarette butts were crumpled underfoot, and the occasional beer bottle. He sneered in distaste; did humans have no respect for green places?

He thought he could smell a human ahead, too. He wanted to run as soon as he caught the first whiff, but the tugging had him in its grip and he couldn’t stop moving forward. Especially once he caught the slight hint of blood mingled into the scent as well. As he moved deeper into the small wood, the traces of other humans faded away and the more natural scents of small animals, birds, and healthy plants replaced them.

And there, sitting hunched up at the base of a broad tree, was a young boy.

Neil dropped to his belly and crawled forward until he was hidden completely under another bush, though he made sure he had a good view of everything around him. He watched as the boy rubbed shaking hands over his face, his shoulders shaking and breath gasping. Neil watched him smear away tears. He was snuffling and wheezing, as if he desperately wanted to give into a sobbing fit, but was trying to keep quiet. Neil’s chest ached in mingled memory and sympathy.

The boy was small in stature, though Neil allowed that his perspective might be skewed from his vantage as a small animal. His pudgy hands were barely big enough to cover his face, and his hair was pale and scruffy, as if he hadn’t had it cut for some time. It fell into his eyes whenever he moved his head, and he had to push it away every other minute. Neil’s keen eyes caught a smear of dried blood along the inside of his long sleeves and he wriggled just a bit closer, hating to imagine what could have caused those injuries.

He watched as the boy curled up into the curve of the tree trunk, his knees brought up to his chest and his cheek resting on the bark, as if he were cuddling up to a mother. He kept stroking the bark even as he cried, and as Neil listened, he thought he heard desperate whispers.

“If I go back tonight,” he was saying, “If I go back – I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to go back, don’t make me go back…”

And then, to Neil’s utter astonishment, he Saw a brief glow of bright, earthy power flow from the tree’s roots, up the bark and pass into the boy where his skin touched the tree. He saw it dissipate under the boy’s skin, how it seemed to calm his crying little by little with each slow pulse. He watched as the tree gave the boy the comfort he so dreadfully needed, how his hunched body became more relaxed until he looked like he was about to fall asleep, a babe cradled in unlikely arms.

He was a witch, Neil realised numbly. A tiny little plant witch. But he couldn’t be more than eleven, twelve at the very most. About his own age, in human years. And Neil’s mother had always told him witches only came into their power as they were approaching adulthood, or even later in life if they were less powerful. For a witch to access his power so young… Neil couldn’t imagine how that had happened. Maybe this little witch was very powerful? He’d heard that stronger powers manifested earlier, though truthfully he didn’t know much. His mother had always been so angry whenever he asked questions. Especially about her own witch.

His heart quivered with memories looming too-close, and he pushed away thoughts of his mother to focus again on the boy. He couldn’t help but wonder why he had been pulled here, though he thought he might know the answer. It was a terrifying, thrilling, horrifying answer. And he did not want to think about it, or what his mother would think if she knew.

But… this boy was in need. And Neil didn’t know what he could do to help, but he had to do _something_.

The instinct agreed, and pushed him out of the bushes so abruptly he broke several of the branches. The noise startled the dozing boy, and he shot upright with a panicked look, getting almost to his feet with his fists bunched up to his chest, before he noticed Neil frozen in plain sight.

They stared at each other for a long minute, both tense, wary creatures. Then, because Neil didn’t know what else to do, he sank down onto his belly submissively and laid his chin on his forepaws. _I’m not going to hurt you,_ he wanted to say, and the boy seemed to judge the same after another few minutes of careful watching. Then he sank back into the tree again, though he looked distinctly less at ease. He pressed one palm back to the bark, and Neil Saw the energy flow again between the boy and the tree.

All of a sudden, Neil was aware of just how tired and in pain he was. All his joints ached, he had a half-dozen sluggishly-healing minor injuries under his fur, his paws were cut up from gravel and glass shards, and he hadn’t bathed in months. His fur stuck to him in greasy mats and snarled at his skin. His ears were sore, his gums throbbed, his stomach was cavernous and his throat was on fire with thirst. He knew he must look awful and smell worse even to a human’s pathetic nose.

It had been a long time since he’d been around another human, and Neil felt so disgustingly ashamed of himself he wanted to run away from this little boy’s piercing eyes and never come back.

He buried his nose into the soil and tried to cover his face with his paws, huffing and whining to himself in distress.

“It’s okay,” the boy said quietly, though it still made Neil jump. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. You look pretty beat up, huh? You must be hungry, I can see your ribs from here. Could you smell my lunch?”

Now that the boy mentioned it, yes, Neil could definitely smell something vaguely meaty in the backpack tucked between the tree’s roots. He peeked out from behind his paws and whined louder.

“You can have it, I didn’t want it anyway,” the boy continued. He slowly opened his bag and drew out a brown paper bag, scrunched up at the top. He opened it and retrieved a squashed sandwich. Neil could smell chicken in there and couldn’t help but edge forward. The boy peeled the bread apart and took out the slices of chicken. He knelt down on the dirt by the roots and offered it carefully.

Neil crept forward, knowing he was making some truly pathetic noises but unable to stop himself, until he was close enough to take the meat. He was careful, though his hunger wanted him to just lunge and bite, and delicately took the slices between his teeth. He didn’t want to hurt or scare the boy. He drew them back towards himself, and that was where his self-control snapped. He wolfed it down so fast he barely even chewed, and couldn’t taste a bit of it. The instant it hit his stomach he knew he’d made a mistake as it threatened to come up again, too rich and too much after months of scraps.

“Is that better?” The boy asked. Neil nodded before he could catch himself, and froze once he realised what he’d done. Too human, too human…

“Can – can you understand me?” The boy asked, his eyes wide.

Unsure what to do – _never reveal yourself, Abram!_ His mother yelled in his memory, _Never let them think you’re anything but a dumb animal! Especially witches!_ – he pretended he hadn’t heard and crept towards the trunk. The boy watched him warily as he pressed his nose to the tree. He could feel the residual warmth of the boy’s body there, and smell his skin, but the tree did not give him any soothing energy. His ears and tail drooped in disappointment. He watched as the energy pointedly diverted around him and went right for the boy, streaming into his palm as if to mock Neil.

He nudged the bark sadly and pawed at it, but the tree remained aloof. _Please_ , he tried telling it. _Please. I’m hurting too._

The boy gasped beside him, and for a second Neil saw something terrifying – a fragile spidersilk-thin string of energy reaching from his paw, through the bark, and into the boy’s palm.

“You’re magic,” the boy whispered. “You’re magic, like me.”

Neil couldn’t deny it when he could feel the slightest edge of the boy’s thoughts and feelings, brushing up against his mind, and knew the boy could feel him too. He swallowed hard around his nerves and pressed his forehead to the tree trunk, begging the tree to take pity on him too.

“Why won’t you help him?” The boy asked the tree with a frown, some of his energy flowing back into the tree. If the tree answered, Neil couldn’t hear it. “He’s in pain. Help him too.” The boy stroked the bark with his other hand, and after a few minutes of pleading, the tree seemed to give in. Neil watched as some of the energy pulsed towards him, into his paw, and then he was overcome with a drowsy sense of peace. His pains and aches faded, the hunger cramping his guts was soothed away, and the anxious background of his thoughts quietened down to a sleepy murmur. He closed his eyes and shuddered with a low sigh. He hadn’t felt so warm and content and safe since… he couldn’t remember back that far. Maybe when he was a tiny child.

 _Thank you,_ he said drowsily, not sure if he meant the tree or the boy. He curled up limply with his head resting on a root. He could feel his bruises and cuts starting to heal, his own magic working with the tree’s to patch him up a bit.

“Can I touch your fur?” The boy asked hesitantly.

Neil opened his eyes and nodded, holding the boy’s gaze. The boy reached out slowly. His small fingers gently brushed the fur in Neil’s ruff, stroking through it delicately.

“You’re soft,” the boy muttered. Then he frowned again, too serious a look on such a young face. “But you’d be softer if you had a wash. What happened to you?”

 _What happened to you?_ Neil thought back, smelling fresh blood under the boy’s sleeve and sensing the deep bodily pain the tree was trying to numb for him. He nudged his nose gently against the boy’s wrist where the skin was still whole and licked the spot sadly. The boy caught his breath sharply and Neil saw tears start in his eyes again, and something like shame flush his cheeks.

Neil licked his wrist again, though he was careful not to go near the scabs or fresher wounds he could smell under the sleeve. He didn’t want to give the poor boy an infection on top of everything else. He started crying again, slumped against the tree while Neil washed his palm, too tired to offer any further comfort.

“I’m so tired of being scared,” the boy sobbed, watching Neil. “I’m tired of never being able to trust them. I’m tired of being afraid in my bed. I’m tired of hurting all the time. I just want it all to stop.”

Neil started at how close those broken words cut to his bones, echoing through him and squeezing his chest tight. He let out a low, sad keen and pressed the crown of his head into the boy’s palm.

 _What will happen to this boy?_ Neil thought sadly. _Who is looking out for him aside from this tree?_

The boy’s crying slowly faded into miserable sniffs and hiccups, too worn out to keep crying. Neil sighed and licked his fingers, wishing there was something more he could do… and an idea began to form. His mother had taught him some basic magic, and he’d experimented some on his own too. He could do a pretty good safety ward. He sometimes made it when he needed to hole up after getting injured, so he could sleep for a few days without worrying about being pounced by something bigger and stronger. It kept others away, hid him from sight, and made a kind of bubble around him while he slept. Maybe he could make the ward on this boy’s door?

The instincts that had pushed him to this boy seemed to swell and chorus in agreement, and he could see the exact shape of the ward in his mind as if it were painted there in glowing paint.

_Well then._

He moved his head so he would be looking the boy directly in the eyes, and tried to imagine his words flowing through the tree into the boy’s mind. _I can protect you at night._

The boy’s eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock, so he guessed the boy had heard him.

“Can you really?” He asked in a tiny, wobbly voice.

 _I’m magic, remember,_ Neil replied and licked his palm again. _I can do lots of things._

The boy chewed his lip nervously for a bit. Then he blurted, “But that’s not fair. What would you get for it? What do you want?”

 _Food,_ Neil thought wistfully. _A bath._

“I can do that,” The boy said slowly. “If we go now, no one will be at the house for about an hour. Cass and Richard will be at their dance class and _he_ won’t get home until eight. I remember seeing dog shampoo under the sink for the puppy that died before they got me.”

Neil nodded and wagged his tail briefly. At this point he wouldn’t turn up his nose to any shampoo, even if it would make him smell like a dog for a while. He could more than cope with that if it meant being clean.

“Do you promise?” The boy asked fretfully. “Can you really?”

_I promise._

“If I get hurt tonight, the deal’s off.”

Neil nodded patiently. He’d say the same, in this boy’s position.

“Okay,” the boy said shakily. “Okay. Let’s go then.” He stood up and brushed the dirt from the seat of his pants and slung the backpack over his shoulders. With a last stroke to the tree’s bark, he started walking. Neil picked himself up off the ground, thanked the tree with a pat of his own, and followed.

The bath was kind of a disaster. The boy had no idea how to bathe an animal, and Neil had no idea how to allow himself to be scrubbed and rinsed. A lot of water got slopped over the edge of the tub, and Neil thought there were some suds still in his fur by the end of it, but at least he was clean and smelling fresh for the first time in far too long. The boy did his best to untangle the worst knots with an old comb he found under the sink, and Neil tried not to flinch or hiss when the boy tugged a bit too hard. He rubbed a towel over Neil’s wet body until he was only damp, and left him to roll on the towel to his own satisfaction while he mopped up the water all over the bathroom floor.

“You’re very squirmy, you know that?” The boy muttered as he worked. “Wait here, I’ll get you some food.”

He returned with a packet of cooked sandwich meat and Neil perked his ears excitedly at the smell of it. He sat on the towel and watched as the boy knelt down and opened up the plastic. He offered each slice to Neil slowly, and Neil made sure to chew and swallow more carefully this time so the glorious meal settled properly in his stomach. When the whole packet was gone, Neil felt incredibly warm and full and he could feel the happy bulge of his stomach under his ribs for once.

“You look a lot better already,” the boy observed as he filled a bowl with tap water and set it in front of Neil.

Neil wagged his tail and huffed agreement before lapping up most of the bowl. He could feel power thrumming in his bones again, much more than the bare trickle he’d managed on his own. He wondered how much was left over from the tree, or if it was from the boy’s handling during the bath. Either way, he felt ready to draw up a strong protection ward and sleep for days.

When he was finished drinking, he got up and shyly pressed against the boy’s legs, resting his chin on the boy’s knees. Without the tree to act as a conduit, the boy couldn’t hear him say thank you, but after a moment he rested gentle hands in Neil’s fur and started petting him. Neil sighed and allowed himself a few happy grunts and whines. When he next glanced up, he saw a soft, awed look on the boy’s face, and the beginnings of a smile.

 _That’s much better_ , Neil thought to himself. Then he pointed his muzzle towards the open cabinet, and nudged the boy’s wrist. He got the hint after a few tries, and took some antiseptic cream off the top shelf with the aid of a small step-stool. Neil watched as the boy carefully tugged up his sleeves and applied the cream to the sore scabs and wounds. Neil rubbed up against his ankles in encouragement until he was done and had washed his hands.

“Okay, I did the thing,” the boy muttered. “Now you hold up your end of the deal. Keep me safe.”

Neil nodded and pawed lightly at the bathroom door until the boy opened it and led him to his bedroom. Neil took his time inspecting the place, his lip curling at the too-grown-up scent of sweat and aftershave lingering on the boy’s bedsheets. Once he had an idea of the space, he drew up onto his hind legs in front of the door. He breathed out carefully on the wood of the door, and with his paw swiped careful symbols for warding and protection in the dew of his breath. It glowed in his Other sight, bright with more power than he’d ever been able to muster before, and shimmered as it settled into the wood. He watched it gently pulse in time with his own heartbeat, and felt the comforting sense of being surrounded by warm blankets as the ward locked into place.

“Oh,” the boy murmured as he looked around, clearly having felt the ward come into being. “Will that keep him out?”

Neil nodded and let his tongue loll in a brief grin when the boy managed to smile at him, just a little one.

“Good magic fox,” he muttered half-mockingly, and patted Neil’s head.

 _Good magic boy,_ Neil thought back, and leaned into the touch.

A few minutes later, they heard a key in the door and a woman’s voice. “Andrew!” She called merrily. “Andy, sweetie, come help me with the groceries, would you?”

“Coming, Cass,” the boy called back. He gave Neil’s head another quick pat, then closed the door behind himself as he went downstairs. Neil found a nice dark space under the bed and curled up there to snooze away the rest of the day.

He woke when Andrew came in to get ready for bed, and together they waited silently. Sometime after midnight, they heard footsteps from another bedroom on the same floor. They were quiet, sneaky, but heavy enough to be an adult. They listened as the footsteps approached, Andrew with his hand clenched nervously in Neil’s fur, until they stopped outside the bedroom. Then, they moved away again, back towards the other bedroom.

Andrew gave a shaky sigh of relief and brushed at his eyes with trembling fingers. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Pride and innate knowing glowed warm and bright in Neil’s chest, and he carefully stepped into Andrew’s lap. He sat in the space between Andrew’s crossed legs and pressed his head into the boy’s chest.

 _I’ll look after you now,_ he thought firmly. _No more hurting._

“I’ll take care of you too,” Andrew whispered, almost as if he’d heard. He softly rubbed behind Neil’s ears. “And everything will be okay.”


	5. Chapter 5

Warnings for mentions of drug addiction and rehabilitation.

* * *

 

Andrew couldn’t help but feel content with the way his Saturday was going. He’d woken up warm and well-rested for once with no nightmares or weird dreams, with Neil curled up by his ribs. Aaron had made pancakes for breakfast, and Andrew and Nicky had talked for a bit about Erik back in Germany. Then Aaron and Nicky had decided to meet up with some of their Columbia friends from Eden’s and school. For the last few hours, it had just been himself and Neil in the dorm room with the doors firmly locked. Neil had amused himself for a while baking a cake and some cookies while Andrew did some reading for his course before classes started next week.

Once they were out of the oven, Neil had joined him on the couch, settled himself in Andrew’s lap, and they’d been kissing each other senseless for at least an hour.

Neil sighed against Andrew’s cheek and left lazy kisses all down his neck as Andrew slid his hands up under the hoodie Neil had borrowed, feeling out the muscles and bones of Neil’s back under his fingertips. It was one of Andrew’s old hoodies, again; he’d offered many times to buy Neil his own clothes for the time he spent in human form, but Neil had just smiled every time and insisted he preferred wearing ones that smelled like Andrew. Andrew’s fingers dug in by reflex as Neil gently sucked on a bit of skin, not quite enough to leave a mark but more than enough to make Andrew shudder.

“Pest,” he mumbled drowsily and breathed in the freshly-shampooed smell of Neil’s curly hair. The scent of baking swirled around them, and he could feel his plants happily soaking in the sunshine at the window. He pulled Neil a little closer and sucked on his lower lip until Neil shuddered. Andrew felt his own lips quirk up in a bit of a smile before Neil kissed the expression away. He could feel magic flowing between them, warm and gentle, strengthening each other through the mutual sharing as it always did when they touched skin-to-skin. As the energy moved, their instinctive knowledge and skills were shared too, boosting each other’s abilities.

But Andrew didn’t make out with him for the power. It just felt good. Really, really fucking good.

“You mean so much to me,” Neil murmured, pulling away a bit so he could see Andrew’s face. He gently rubbed a thumb over Andrew’s cheekbone.

“Are you getting sappy on me?” Andrew returned quietly, resting a hand on Neil’s ribs so he could feel each breath.

“Of course,” Neil grinned.

“Gross.”

Neil kissed the tip of his nose and leant their foreheads together, eyes closed. He took a slow breath, then sighed it out. He shifted in Andrew’s lap, his hips probably getting sore from having his legs wrapped around Andrew’s waist for so long. Andrew smoothed a hand down and lightly squeezed the bone, then started massaging the small of Neil’s back with both hands. Neil made an odd grunting noise like he did in fox-form, sounding vaguely like a happy guinea pig. It was a high-pitched, silly kind of noise that was hopelessly endearing.

“You have a human voicebox,” Andrew reminded him. “You don’t have to make fox noises all the time.”

The grunting changed midway into a quiet laugh, and Andrew’s chest squeezed.

“You’re ridiculous,” he whispered fondly.

“And you’re too serious,” Neil teased, squirming closer into his arms and curling up into his chest. Andrew was about to kiss him very thoroughly when his phone beeped with a new text. Normally that wouldn’t have stopped him in the least, but he thought it might be Nicky saying they were on their way back, so he thought he’d better check.

“What is it?” Neil asked into his neck when he kept frowning at his phone screen.

“Boyd’s texting me.”

“Why?”

Andrew tilted the screen for Neil to read. _Hey Andrew! Heard ur fam is all out, wanna hang? Could chat about plants n stuff :D_

“Tell him yes,” Neil said.

“No,” Andrew huffed and squeezed his hips again. “I’m enjoying the quiet.”

Neil grinned and ran a hand down his chest. “I’m enjoying it too, but you should be making friends here. I want you to be happy on this team.”

Andrew didn’t reply. He was happy enough just with Neil in his arms.

Neil gently kissed his cheek, knowing him well enough to understand. “We can shower together later instead?”

Andrew sighed, though that was definitely something to look forward to. “Fine.”

He texted Boyd back an unenthusiastic _ok_ and regretfully let go of Neil. Neil kissed his nose again before he transformed in a blur back to his fox-form. He stepped out of the empty clothes and took a minute to shake out his fur and twitch his whiskers.

_You look taller from down here._

_I wonder why,_ Andrew replied and picked up the empty clothes. He’d just finished putting them away and brushing his hair to disguise how much Neil had messed it up, when he heard a quick knock on the door.

Matt Boyd beamed at him like a sunny giant. “Hey! How you doing, bud?”

Andrew stood aside to let him in. “I’m not your bud.”

“It’s a pun, see? Because we’re both plant witches?” Boyd’s grin slowly faded and he looked around awkwardly as Andrew just stared at him.

_Play nice,_ Neil chided him.

_Don’t wanna,_ Andrew drawled back like a sulky child.

_Tell him I say hi._

Andrew sighed and watched as Neil trotted over and circled around Matt’s feet, looking up at him and waving his tail a bit.

“He says hello.”

“Oh!” Matt’s grin was back in full force. “Thanks, little dude. Can I pet him?”

Andrew shrugged uncomfortably. Neil raised himself up so his forepaws rested on Matt’s shin, and Matt bent down to carefully pat his head. Neil closed his eyes and butted up into his palm. Matt gave a delighted laugh and kept petting him.

_He smells nice and earthy. Different to you, of course, but still nice._

“Friendly little guy, huh?” Matt smiled. “What’s his name?”

“Nicky calls him Red. I’m not telling you his real name.”

“Um, okay…”

Andrew assessed his honestly-confused expression and rubbed his temple. “You don’t know a thing about familiars, do you?”

“Not really, no.”

“I’m gonna need some coffee for this, then. You want?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Andrew made them both some coffee and when he turned around, Matt had settled himself on the couch with a pathetic fox curled up next to him, making those silly grunting whines.

_Betrayed, on my own couch?_

_If you got over here I could get pets from two people at once. That would be better._

Andrew rolled his eyes and brought over the coffee. When he was settled, Neil rolled to look up at him adoringly and licked his fingers. It settled Andrew’s irritation a bit.

“Familiars aren’t pets, regardless of how silly this one is acting right now,” Andrew told Matt. “They aren’t dumb animals who can learn a few tricks. They’re creatures of magic, with an instinctive connection to the Other and witchcraft, and they’re just as sentient and often smarter than humans. Their names are special things. It’s not like giving a poodle a nickname – a witch or familiar’s name has a weight and a power to it. They’re how the bond is formed. If I gave you part of his name, you might be able to use it to break our bond and force one with him yourself.”

“Oh,” Matt said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude, or anything. I haven’t met anyone’s familiar, ever. What’s it like?”

Andrew combed his fingers through Neil’s ruff for a few moments as he thought, and Neil flopped closer to him. “Mostly like having a very sarcastic friend chatting in my head all the time. But he helps. With everything. We learn more together and work better magic together. He advises me on plants and spells and wards, and I help him with his learning in return. We look after each other.”

Neil huffed happily and rested his chin on Andrew’s thigh.

“When you say he’s in your head, you mean…”

“I mean we talk. Up here.” Andrew tapped his temple. “It’s part of the bond, we share a thought-space. It’s hard to describe.”

“So, you like, chat to each other? Telepathically?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool,” Matt grinned. “Do you talk shit about other people?”

_Pretty constantly,_ Neil said. Andrew passed that onto Matt, who laughed.

“Man, no wonder you’re so quiet if you’re talking in your head all the time.”

Andrew shrugged and sipped his coffee, absently petting Neil with his free hand. Matt watched them for a minute.

“So – how come you two found each other? Do I need to go searching for my familiar?”

Andrew shook his head. “It’s actually a good thing you don’t have one yet. Familiars and witches aren’t supposed to meet until they’re both approaching the peak of their power at middle age. We’re supposed to move through the world separately, gaining experience and knowledge, and combine them later in life with the benefit of age and understanding.”

Matt frowned again and fiddled with his jacket zipper, confused all over again. “So what went wrong with you two?”

Neil whined unhappily and climbed into Andrew’s lap, a solid, comforting weight. “The way we figure,” Andrew said quietly as he scratched under Neil’s chin, “Is that if we hadn’t found each other, neither of us would have survived adolescence. He was… called to me, he said. To protect me. And I protected him too.”

Matt looked so sad when he looked at them both that Andrew wanted to punch him. He was smart enough not to ask for more specific details; Andrew supposed that was part of being a Palmetto Fox. Neil nuzzled into Andrew’s chest, and Andrew ran his hand down Neil’s spine to combat the shivers moving through them both.

“That’s why you don’t see many young witches with familiars,” Andrew said after an uncomfortable pause. “So, why are you actually here Matt? I know it’s not for my positive and uplifting company.”

Matt looked startled at the abrupt change in subject. “Well, it _is_ true that I wanted to talk witchy stuff with you.”

“But that’s not all of it.”

Matt sighed and fiddled with his fingers. “The upperclassmen I room with are getting high right about now.”

Andrew wasn’t surprised; from the way they all acted he’d known there were some kinds of drugs involved, and Neil silently agreed. Aaron hadn’t said a word if he noticed, but Andrew was suddenly glad he wasn’t around today. He didn’t want Aaron losing his dry streak when it had taken so much work to get him to detox in the first place.

He glanced over Matt’s on-display track marks and hummed quietly in understanding.

“I’d normally go hang out with the girls when this happens, but Renee’s at a charity thing and Dan and Allison are at a movie. Can I hang here until they’re done?”

Neil shimmied over to Matt and licked his fingers consolingly. Matt smiled and patted his head.

“I guess you can stay,” Andrew allowed. “Does Coach know?”

Matt grimaced. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to get the guys kicked off the team though – I’m pretty sure they’d be on the street if they weren’t here. I don’t wanna be the whistleblower that makes them homeless.”

“If it’s steering you towards a relapse, you might have to be. Don’t be an idiot.”

Matt shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m not at that point – rehab really sucked – but it’s tempting sometimes.”

_We could try the detox on him that we did for Aaron,_ Neil suggested as he nuzzled Matt’s hand.

_It would have to be specific, Aaron was into pain pills, not anything shootable. It wouldn’t work the same,_ Andrew disagreed.

_I could help with that_ , Neil said. _I could spend more time with him and figure out what plant combinations would work best. You know I have a nose for that kind of thing._

Andrew said nothing, frowning in thought.

He was quiet for so long that Matt coughed to get his attention again. “What is it?”

“We were talking,” Andrew said and gestured between himself and his fox. “There’s something we could try.”

“Hit me.”

“I made a thing once,” Andrew said slowly. “For someone I know with addiction problems. It was like a forced rehab thing, but with magic and plants. It sped him through withdrawal and blocked the cravings until he was sober enough to do the work himself. He said since he stopped taking it, he hasn’t been tempted to get high again. Lingering effect, or something. I could try the same thing on you if you want, but it would have to be made differently. Different drugs.”

Matt’s jaw hung slack for a minute. “You’d – you’d really do something like that for me? _Can_ you do that? That sounds so complicated, I wouldn’t even know how to start thinking about which plants…”

Andrew ran a hand down Neil’s spine. “Benefits of a familiar – you can do a lot more, understand a lot more, and two heads are always better than one. And we’ve been together for seven years, we’ve learned a lot together and there’s the framework for when we did it the first time. We could try, if you want it.”

Boyd swallowed and looked at his track-mark scars. He touched his fingers to them for a minute, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s try it.”

Andrew held out a hand, and shook Boyd’s quickly. He rapidly returned both hands to Neil’s fur. He wasn’t looking forward to this part of it. For Aaron it had been easy as they all lived in the same house. He’d slept with Neil curled up in his bed in some form or the other for years now. He didn’t want to face sleeping alone again.

Neil tilted his head back to look at him and made a low run of grunts and clicks that were oddly soothing.

“I know,” Andrew muttered.

“Everything okay?” Boyd asked curiously, looking between them.

Andrew scratched his fingers into Neil’s ruff firmly, making him close his eyes and hum. “He’ll need to hang around you for a while, get a sense of you and what plants would work best. That’s going to be… hard, for me.”

“Oh,” Matt started blinking and looking awkward. “Oh, dude, if it’s like, hurting you…”

“It’s fine.”

_And I’ll be right here,_ Neil reminded him quietly. He wriggled around so he could nuzzle his face into Andrew’s neck. _We can still talk all the time. It’ll only be for a week or so. And we can still shower together tonight._

Andrew rubbed slowly behind his ears for a minute, then tugged on his tail and deposited his compact, warm body in Boyd’s lap instead.

“Talk to him, feed him, play with him,” Andrew sighed. “He understands speech just as well as any human, so no need to go all baby-talk. He’s not a pet.”

“I understand,” Boyd said in a serious voice. “Thank you, Andrew. Can I touch him? Is that okay?”

“If he wants you to. If he doesn’t, you’ll know about it. His teeth are quite sharp.”

He was more than a little gratified by the way Boyd drew his hand back from Neil’s face.

_You’re the worst,_ Neil muttered, and stuck out the very tip of his tongue in a _blep_. He blinked up at Boyd and waved his tail until Boyd seemed to forget his nerves and hesitantly patted the top of his head. Neil grunted again, though with much less volume and persistence as he did when Andrew touched him. They were all happy with that compromise.

Andrew sloped off to the bathroom and left them alone, and Matt seemed vaguely uncomfortable to be left sitting with a fox in his lap, staring at him. Neil almost wished he could talk directly to Matt, but thought this could be fun too. He leaned forward until their noses were nearly touching, making Matt go cross-eyed and trying not to edge back.

“Hi, Red,” Matt said, looking vaguely concerned. Neil sniffed his breath, then licked his cheek with a long rasp of his tongue. Matt yelped as if afraid he was going to get bitten and Neil tumbled off his lap and lolled on his back, laughing silently to himself with his jaws wide and tongue out.

_I can’t leave you alone for five minutes,_ Andrew said.

_You should have seen his face,_ Neil replied gleefully, filling their mindspace with his laughter.  

Matt seemed to realise he’d been messed with and hesitantly poked at Neil’s upraised paws. “You little con artist.”

Neil huffed and batted at his hand, twisting to see him properly. Matt grinned and poked him again. Neil barked excitedly, unable to stop himself, and flailed at Matt’s hand hovering just out of reach. Matt snorted and made as if to grab his paws, making Neil flail again. He darted in to touch Neil’s fluffy belly and he squirmed and barked, tail wriggling side to side.

“Is that fun, huh?” Matt grinned and darted his hand just out of reach as Neil swatted for it.

“He likes to play,” Andrew said from the doorway, watching.

“Oh, I swear I’m not treating him like a pet—”

“I know. He’s a fox. Fox cubs learn social skills by playing.” Andrew said calmly. “He’s learning about you.”

“So how much of him is fox and how much is magic?” Matt asked as he dove in to tickle Neil’s belly, making him bark even louder.

“Depends on how silly he feels like being,” Andrew replied dryly. “I’m sure if he were a dog or cat or bird this wouldn’t be how he would learn about you. But he’s a fox. And he has a lot of energy to burn off right now.”

Neil nipped his teeth at Matt’s hand, just enough to graze him, and flailed some more to get Matt to keep playing.

“Do you two play a lot, then?” Matt asked, using both hands to double the anticipation and enjoyment.

“Mmhmm. He’s also obsessed with Exy. Enjoy.” Andrew tossed him the tooth-marked squash ball and as soon as Neil noticed it, he sprang onto the floor, legs quivering in excitement.

It wasn’t such a bad Saturday, Andrew thought as he chatted vaguely with Boyd and watched him play with Neil so thoroughly the fox had to give up and rest, curled on the sofa between them with his tail on Andrew’s thigh and his chin on Boyd’s hand. Boyd seemed just... generally nice. And interested in what Andrew had to say.

It was alright. Boyd was alright.

Maybe Nicky and Neil had been right, and he should try and connect more with the Exy team. Neil huffed in his sleep as if he agreed.

“He’s pretty cute for a magic fox,” Boyd grinned and lightly stroked along Neil’s side, making him twitch.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with being separated for a bit?” Boyd asked quietly.

“He’s so high-maintenance it’ll be a nice break,” Andrew remarked, but with Neil asleep it didn’t get the right reaction. “It’s okay.”

Boyd grinned at him with a sidelong glance. “You know, I didn’t quite know whether to believe Renee when she said you’re nicer than we think, that you just don’t talk much. I think I’m believing her a bit more now.”

_If I’m nice, it’s only because of Neil’s influence. I don’t know what person I’d be without him guiding me the past seven years,_ Andrew thought to himself. Outwardly, he said, “Lies. All filthy lies.”

Boyd laughed. “Okay, sure.”

They sat quietly for a minute until Boyd’s phone buzzed. “The girls are back. I might go say hey. Do you want to come with?”

Andrew kept his eyes on the rise and fall of Neil’s ribcage. Neil would want him to go. But he knew his limits for being social, and he knew he should rip the band-aid off and get used to Neil hovering around Boyd without him for the next little while.

“I have reading to do,” he said after too-long a pause.

“Oh. Well. Okay. But come round any time, yeah?” Boyd tried valiantly. “Don’t be a stranger.”

Andrew shrugged vaguely, wishing Neil would wake up and deal with this for him by being a fluffy distraction. Boyd took that as the answer he wanted and got to his feet. It startled Neil and his hackles were up for a second before he realised what was going on.

“Thanks for this,” Boyd smiled as Andrew opened the door for him. “Can we hang out again sometime?”

“Sure, why not.”

“Awesome,” Boyd grinned. “See you at practice.”

Neil twined around Andrew’s ankles for a moment before following Boyd down the hall to the girls’ room.

_See you tonight,_ Neil murmured in his mind, and it eased his tension enough to let him close the door and pick up his textbook again.

This branching out and making friends thing was exhausting. He didn’t know how Nicky did it all day.


End file.
